Lovely Moon
by xXxRedGypsyxXx
Summary: Rio has problems with her life. She moves to Echo Village after her father's untimely death in the hopes of making some money. However, she didn't think that she would get suckered into rebuilding a broken village. On top of that, she also has to deal with gangsters, finicky animals, and the infuriating bachelors walking around. What's a girl to do? RioxNeil?
1. Chapter 1

**_[AN]: _****Hi, this is my story. :) I'm gonna have some parts of the story line in here, but I won't be copying the heart events and other stuff like that. I'm gonna to try to use my own ideas and put my spin on things. If you think I should continue, show a little love. Even if you just put a "+" in the reviews. This story is dedicated to my sister. :3 **

* * *

**_New Beginnings_**

"Ugh, why did this place have to be so far away?" Rio sighed as she took off her hat to wipe the sweat off her brow. She looked at the road marker that pointed towards Echo Village.

This was going to be her new life. She had just turned 21 and found herself unable to find a decent job working in the city. She didn't go to college because of family issues and not many places besides fast food restaurants wanted to hire her. She did, however, have a green thumb that supposedly ran in her family. It was only to her surprise, that when her father died, he would leave a patch of land to her in the mountains.

A patch of land that would make a decent farm and with the right kind of skills, farming could be a very profitable business which is exactly what she needed right now.

"At least the scenery is nice…" She smiled slightly when she took in the scent of nature and basked in the warm spring sun. "The flowers, the trees, the animals…the dead body…" Rio paused. "…the dead body!"

Rio looked down at an older man wearing a brown trench coat. He let out a soft groan and Rio's pulse slowed down when she realized he wasn't dead.

"Okay, what to do? What to do?" She repeated over and over again as she rolled the man over. She saw the small stream next to her and went to get him some water by using the small canteen she had. She tripped when she ran back over to the man; spilling the water all over his face. He coughed like he was drowning, but in the end it seemed to do the trick so the guy let it slide. Probably just to get her to stop apologizing.

After a lengthy explanation, the man introduced himself as Dunhill; the mayor of Echo Village and former friend to her father.

"It was so sad to hear what happened to him," Dunhill hung his head low and Rio lips tightened.

"Yeah, my mother still hasn't recovered yet. I didn't want to leave her to begin with, but…"

"But, sometimes you have to break free and build your own life. Your mother is a strong woman. She'll make it through. I'm hoping some of that strength rubbed off on you. You're gonna need it to run a successful farm," He tried to lighten the mood as he showed Rio around the desolate town; excitedly telling her more about her father's past life here before moving on to her farm. He gave her the basics of what she needed to know and how business usually runs. It was definitely going to be tough, but Rio wasn't going to let that deter her. She had too much riding on this little business venture.

"I see there's not a lot of people here," Rio reported absentmindedly when she and Dunhill took a break from the training. She sipped her tea and thought about the few villagers like Hana and Emma who she had just met and then, she thought about the two that had packed up earlier. She looked across the table to Dunhill who seemed to be getting fired up over something.

"Rio, listen carefully, this town is not full of people, but the ones who are here are good and honest. It's just not enough to keep business booming around here and that just makes more people move away," He told her. Rio could feel her heart nearly burst out of her chest. She jumped up; slamming her hands on the table.

"There's no business around here!?" She exclaimed hurriedly. 'No, no, that won't work!' Rio thought to herself. Dunhill looked a little confused before he completely misread her worrying.

"I see you've gotten worked up over our little town already. Don't worry about it now. The rest of the town folks and I are already trying to come up with a plan," Dunhill explained, but what he didn't know was that Rio was coming up with her own plan to pack her bags over night and leave so she could cut her losses. Then, Dunhill kept speaking. "You being here has already given us hope that there is a chance to attract more people and save our little town. Thank you Rio!"

Rio was taken aback. She smiled softly at his words, not wanting to break the man's heart by telling him she wasn't interested in a town that was on its last leg. That she didn't have time to waste here. However, she made a resolve to come up here no matter what and make this work. And maybe, just maybe, this could turn off well. After all, she was all out of options. She nodded her head with great determination.

"Don't worry! You can count on me," She told Dunhill, but inside she was still a little worried.

'Father, if you can, please put in a good word for me up there,'

_And, this is where out story begins…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to those who reviewed. I didn't even think I would get one so I'm happy to know I had a good start. :)**

** Lucy Kay:** I'm glad the intro was okay. I always have a hard time with them and even tend to write them last when I have a class paper or something. So, hopefully I'll be able to keep you somewhat entertained with this story. :3

** ANB Lover: **I'm happy that I kept you interested! :)

The love makes me want to write more so spread it! 3

Or, if you just have few critiques or concerns, those are welcomed to~

**So Dedications go to: My sis, Lucy Kay, and ANB Lover.**

**I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week. Right now, I'm more active on my quizilla account where I'm holding a contest and have requests I need to complete and such. However, this is the first series in a long time that I actually wrote for _myself _and not because it was a request so I plan on finishing it. **

* * *

_**Bully Bovines**_

About a week later, Rio awoke bright and early. Today was going to be the day that she would start on her new farm. She had been waiting for Dunhill to help her get the right tools for her to begin. He had just dropped off her first farming kit yesterday evening and now, Rio was ready to start her first day of hard work.

She looked at the few fields she had and then back to the kit in her hands. She gulped slightly in anticipation.

"Okay, Rio, you can do this," She said as she began to take various tools out. "It's just like working with the small pots back at home. It's just all the tools are much bigger."

She glanced at the gardening hoe and compared in to a trowel.

'I just need to start with the hole first,' She thought to herself.

With gloved fingers, she held on tightly to the gardening hoe. She lifted it over her head and swung at the dirt below with all her might; huffing when it didn't look as easy as it originally sounded. She had to hack at the ground a few more times before she had a nice sized hole to put the seeds in.

"And, Dunhill made this sound so easy," Rio scoffed before covering the small potato and turnip seeds up and watering them. Her limbs were already a little sore, but she ignored it. She would just have to get use to this part. If she kept her eye on the goal, all of this hard work would seem like nothing. Besides, it wasn't all bad. So far, the townspeople, though it was few of them, were pretty good to her and it was nice to wake up to something other than gunshots, honking horns, and the drivers of said horns cursing at each other.

"It really is pretty peaceful here," She smiled from her kneeling position on the ground. She stared at the mounds of dirt she had just created and willed the little seed to grow. She was just starting to enjoy her time outside when a _"Moo!"_ and a snort of hot air hit her from behind. Rio turned around quickly which made her land on her butt. Her eyes bugged out as she came face to face to a fully grown bovine; a ticked off bovine. If Rio didn't know any better, she would say the cow glared at her before it moved away to go and graze on some nearby grass.

"What in the world?" She started to say when she was interrupted.

"Hey, are you Rio?" Rio's eyes shifted from the cow to a young man with blond hair and red eyes. She nodded apprehensively as she stood; wiping the dirt from her pants. The guy had a serious look on his face as his gaze shifted from Rio to the cow.

"Yes…are you a cop?" She raised her hands in front of her; palms outward. "Cause I didn't steal the cow. I swear!"

"…What are you going on about? Put your hands down," The guy sighed. He didn't seem to want to be here. "My name is Neil. I'm in charge of the animal store and I'm here to drop off this cow to you."

Rio lowered her hands and tilted her head in confusion. She didn't order a cow. She couldn't afford one; especially right now. It just wouldn't work in her budget.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't pay for the cow so you'll have to take her back," She heard the cow make a noise; apparently, agreeing with her about leaving.

"You don't have to pay for it," Neil explained in an annoyed tone that went unnoticed by Rio who continued to question him.

"So, the cow is free?" Rio perked up at the news. Who didn't love free stuff?

"Yeah, it's been fully paid for. Think of it as a nice contribution to your farm,"

"You bought me a cow? Is that some kind of country welcoming gift?"

"It's not from me!" Neil said firmly with a scowl. "It's from Dunhill."

Rio nodded, not knowing how she offended the boy, but she let it slide for now. She looked over to the cow, which shot her another heated glare. Rio jumped back in surprise.

"That's nice and all, but there seems to be a problem. I don't think the cow likes me," She saw the cow eying her freshly planted crops suspiciously. "Hey you, Betsy, don't you dare touch my crops!"

The cow huff and turned its head in a "Whatever" manner before moving on. Rio narrowed her eyes and made sure the cow was away from her crops. After that, she turned her attention back to Neil, who only shook his head in disappointment.

"You realize if you talk to her like that, it would only make sense that she wouldn't like you," He told Rio.

"Me! That devil cow is the one who started it. Look at her, she's plotting on me!" Rio pointed to the cow again as it attempted to sneak back towards the crops. "What did I tell you Betsy!?"

And once again, the cow stalked off.

"Is that what you're going to name her?" Neil asked, completely ignoring her delusional ranting.

"What?"

"Betsy? Is that what you're naming her?" He asked again.

"Oh, I don't know. I thought all cows were just called Betsy," Rio murmured as she thought about every cowboy rancher movie she had seen. "Hmm…"

"Well!?" Neil was getting more annoyed now as he watched the young girl's face flare with so many emotions. He didn't really want to waste more time than he had to here. He had more customers and didn't have time to babysit the newcomer. His only hope was that she didn't kill the cow overnight. Rio shot him a look before glaring at "Betsy".

"Hey, Betsy? Do you like the name Betsy?" She asked the cow. "Betsy" mooed in discontent while Rio smiled evilly and cackled. "Then, I shall call you Betsy!"

Betsy gave Neil a "Save Me!" nudge, but he shook his head and wished her the best with her new owner. He led her inside with Rio following after them. He gave Betsy a little fodder and petted her head one last time to wish her good luck once more.

Rio watched the scene with great interest. Neil had been more than off putting to her, but he seemed to be a natural at soothing the demon cow. She guessed that it made sense that an animal handler would be good with animals. Rio never grew up around any animals.

"I have to go to work now, but I'll be back in the morning to help teach you more about taking care of your animals," Neil told her, his sharp eyes never leaving Rio's. "Don't kill her."

"No problem! Also, I can't wait to learn from…" Her sentence trailed off when Neil just walked away without a goodbye. "Well, he's a charmer…"

Betsy mooed as to say "Like you're any better." Rio just ignored her and went back to her day-to-day chores. After that, she went to visit Hana at the store and have lunch with Emma. She even got to see Neil at work which happened to be a neat and tidy cart in the plaza. She had tried to speak to him again, but he just ran her off. Apparently, if she wasn't a customer, she needed to get lost.

"You try to be nice to people…" She grumbled all the way back to the house. She was broken out of her grumblings when she noticed a white envelope sticking out of her mailbox. It had no return address and only one sheet of paper in it that read:

_The payments are still due at the end of the month. Don't think you can run from us._

**Signed, Don't Forget**

"Who's running jerk!?" Rio ripped the piece of paper to shreds and sighed. She solemnly watered her little crops again. "Come on and grow for mama. She's really gonna need your help soon…"


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author Notes_**

Hi, everyone! I hope you enjoy the chapter. Does everybody like the length that the chapters are? Should they be shorter, longer, or as is? I usually do like 1500 words for chapters. This one was a little longer than that however. I just don't want to bore anybody by being wordy. Even though, I think the first part of this is. I kind of just wanted people to get an idea of how much trouble she is in and more on that in the future. I'm trying to keep a nice pace with this. :)

**CAPJHMPAgirl:** I'm happy I'm keeping your attention and that you liked the ending! Thanks for commenting~

**a sea of sound:** Thanks for the comments. lol I'm kind of just taking liberties with her character's personality since its not to much of it that I know of anyway. And, I tried to add more compositional risk(?). I'm not sure how it went. I think it definitely made my story a little longer though.

**ANB Lover: **:3 That's my plan. I'm not to good with angst and drama though I'm gonna try to add some to the story to keep it going.

**_Dedication_**

My sis, CAPJHMPAgirl, a sea of sound, and ANB Lover

Once again, show some love if you like or if you have helpful critiques, ideas, or opinion. I'm gonna try to keep this updated weekly. So I guess every friday or so, but no promises. Enjoy!

* * *

**_Building Bonds_**

"Okay, if I make this many fields and plant them around this date, I can grow this many and ship them off in time to pay the minimum," Rio went over her math again. Her lips tightened in concentration as she tried to organize the messy table that was completely covered with notifications, bills, and receipts from various places. In the center of the mess was an tattered, smoky gray spiral notebook that had tiny multicolored Post-Its and sheets of paper taped to it. To anybody else, the book might have looked like a hectic mess of a planner, but Rio could tell a person exactly everything in it from cover to cover.

She had everything organized and memorized. She knew the exact dates payments were due, how much they were, and how much she could get away with paying. She knew what bill collectors she could dodge and which ones wouldn't take no for an answer. She knew exactly what she had paid off and what day she had paid it off. She knew which businesses she had paid it to and which one of the goons had come to collect the money from her. She even had a little bar graph in the back that she would color in some more whenever she had paid off a bill. When she reached the stop, she could file that debt collector away as "Paid-In-Full."

Today, she was adding her farming totals to her planner. The start off money had put a small dent in her budget, but with Dunhill's help, it hadn't completely thrown her off track. She may have a few gray hairs from all the work, but at least it was paying off.

"Now, I can pay the Bank next week and the Martinos next week. Then, I'll have a little left to start over,"

Rio flicked her budget planner closed and sighed. She slumped back into her chair and tried to collect herself. She so desperately wanted to throw a temper tantrum. She wanted to stomp around and curse the world around her, but she was just too tired to move a muscle. After she had received the first letter, another had arrived very early that morning. She had went into over drive that Friday. She made a few extra fields. She had spent every single penny she had on seeds and fertilizer. Anything that could possibly help her plants grow faster without killing them.

The Martino family were expecting a cash payment sooner than she thought. They had took her moving out here as a sign that she was running away and felt "betrayed" by her. They said she could avoid "punishment" if she paid the extra small fee on top of her biweekly payment plan. A plan that was steadily rising. Interest was always 25% of whatever she owed at that exact time. Interest was added every week; meaning she would owe about 3/4 more of what she was initially suppose to pay.

It was an outrageous system that was meant to keep a person in permanent debt, but Rio didn't plan to stay shuffling from check to check her entire life. She was already making three times as much as she would have living in the city. At least this time, she could actually pay the full amount and not have another "fee" added on. She took that much as a good sign. After all, she had just begun this whole farming business. Luckily, if you could call it luck, the Martinos were the only dangerous ones of her debt collectors. They were her big goal. Once they were gone, she could deal with the rest.

Rio heard a knock at her door. She strained her neck to stare at the door; wishing she could summon some kind of mind control to will the person away so she wouldn't have to get up to open the door. Her eyebrows scrunched together when she saw the door knob start to slowly turn. Her instincts kicked in and she jumped out her seat, sending the chair back to hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Shit," She cursed to herself as she gathered up her papers and tried to shove them into the planner. She had forgotten that these simple mountain folks didn't believe in locks and had a hospitality that would make American southerners seem like evil incarnate.

She had just packed everything away when a flurry of blond locks came bursting into through the door. Neil had come in and looked at her with masked worry. He had the same stoic expression on his face, but Rio could tell he was on edge by his body movements.

"Are you okay? I thought I heard something crash," His gaze went around the small cottage. He noticed the chair on the floor and he eyed Rio suspiciously because she had her hands behind her back as if she was hiding something. Her face beamed brightly at him. She smiled like a child trying to avoid trouble with her mother. "What are you up to now?"

"Neil, you have so little faith in me," She waved him off; her eyes sparking playfully. "I should be asking you that question. Walking into a young woman's house without her permission…I could have been getting out of the shower or something."

She saw a small tint of pink come to Neil's cheeks and it made a her grin glow brighter when she saw him twitch uncomfortably. He scowled again and shook his head in disagreement

"I was only trying to make sure you were okay. Since you're fine enough to joke, hurry up and come to the barn so we can get this over with," He told her angrily.

"Get what over with?" Rio asked in confusion as she slid her planner into the bedside drawer.

"Teaching you to take care of Betsy," He walked out the door with Rio following hurriedly behind him. She guess she had made him angry again. Though, it didn't look like it took much. He seemed much more bothered by her than he was anyone else. Then again, there wasn't that many people in the village and he had been around the others longer than her.

'Maybe he's weary of strangers,' Rio mused to herself, not paying attention and running into Neil's back. She took a step back out of his comfort zone when she thought she heard him mumbling something about her being too clumsy and in the way.

He walked over to Betsy who gave Rio the Stink Eye before bounding over to Neil. Rio could practically see the hearts flutter from the cow when Neil came to greet her. Rio watch the earlier tension ease away from Neil as he patted Betsy on the head.

"Come closer, she's not going to kill you," Neil motioned for her to approach which Rio did carefully.

"Speak for yourself," She grumbled as Neil pulled out a few tools to show her.

"Okay, taking care of a cow is pretty, even you should be able to do it," Rio nodded, ignoring the zing that was sent her way as Neil went over how to use each item which happened to be a bush, a milker, and a pitch fork. "You got it? Here try to brush her."

He handed her the brush. Betsy features read "Go away you. Shoo!," but Rio tried anyway.

"Just behave, he asked me too. I thought you liked him," Betsy didn't look at Rio, but let her come near. She tried to keep the cow calm, using slow and gentle brush movement. Rio was happy that Betsy didn't try to kick her or push her away. For a brief moment, they were neutral acquaintances.

"See, it's not that bad," She heard Neil mention. Rio silently agreed with him as she ran her hands through the now smooth fur. She could feel Betsy relax near her. She didn't mention it out loud because Betsy's ego might not take it and they would be back at square one. Rio finally looked away from Betsy and turned to Neil, who had a genuine smile on his face. A smile that made her feel a lot calmer. It was big, and better, difference than the scowls and gruff temperament she normally got. She could feel the corner of her lips turn up as well. The anxiety that was spilling over in the barn finally slowed up and the two of them, three counting Betsy, were able to fall into a comfortable silence.

"What is it?" Neil asked, a cherub look of confusion gracing his feature when the _lunatic_ he had come to known was acting strangely again. She was staring fondly at him and it was making him uncomfortable again.

"It nothing really. I just didn't think I'd get to see you smile so soon. Your smile is really nice," She told him truthfully. Her words were innocent enough, but he wasn't use to people saying things like that so willy-nilly. Neil could feel himself getting flustered again. "It was like you were trying to keep your face from cracking or something."

She joked and another flash of irritation ran through him again. It went away when Betsy took it upon herself to shove Rio hard enough that she fell into the nearby water trough. He couldn't stop himself from finding the whole thing entertaining. Rio was sitting in the trough, her legs hanging over it. She was glaring at Betsy, who mooed contently, like she had gotten some secret revenge.

"I told you. She's after me," Rio squirmed as she tried to pry herself out the trough. Neil finally took pity on her and helped pull her out. Rio dripped a puddle on the barn floor. She looked like a washed up alley cat as she squeezed the water out her hair. Rio didn't try to get retribution from Betsy because she had an idea why Betsy did what she did.

"I wasn't trying to insult you or anything. Just wanted to keep the tone light…I didn't think about it until after, but what I said was kind of mushy," Rio shivered in her overalls. "You may seem kind of jerky at first, but I don't think you're a bad guy. And, take it from me, I know bad guys…" She drawled off like she was going into deep thought.

"What's that mean?" He asked as soon as he heard it, not believing what she said. He hadn't know her for long, but she definitely didn't strike him as someone who knew anything about bad guys. She was kind of airy for his tastes.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. So, what do you say? Buddies?" She asked hopefully. Neil didn't really say anything. He nodded in agreement, but left quickly afterwards so that Rio could change her clothes.

Rio was kind of sad to see him go, but she was relieved when she felt like he no longer completely disliked her. It wasn't that she cared what people thought of her. It was just, in a small town like this, she didn't think she had room for enemies. The fact that Betsy seemed ready to push her off the cliff was enough.

After wondering around in the forest the rest of the day, Rio was approached by Dunhill. "Rio, can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Uh, sure…" She answered. In her long line of dealing with people, she never trusted people who_ just wanted to speak for a moment_. It usually meant bad things, but she really didn't an excuse to say no. Besides, it was Dunhill. She doubted it was anything important…or she hoped it wasn't.


	4. Chapter 4

**[A/N]: Sorry for the late update. I was trying to outline the story and revamp my idea. Didn't even think I would get this far. Time might jump for a bit because I kind of regret not already have the town pre-built, but I'm working it out. :)**

**Karisma Jestler:** Thank you! x3

** a sea of sound:** Thanks! Yeah, I wanted her to be kind, but I didn't want her to just jump into stuff for no reason; especially when she has her own problems too.

**Dedications**

My sis, Karisma Jestler, a sea of sound

**~Remember to show some love~**

or

Just present any helpful criticism, opinions or concerns.

* * *

**_Super Town Revitalization Plan_**

Rio followed after Dunhill as they walked up the path leading to his log cabin. She wondered what the old guy could possibly want. Last time she checked, she hadn't done anything terribly wrong (lately). Dunhill had a cheery smile on his face and Rio thought she heard him humming under his breath. He was an easy read to her. If there had been something wrong, discontent would be written all over his face. However, from Rio's personal experience: whenever some was this cheery, it meant bad news for her…

'Maybe I should run,' She thought to herself as Dunhill opened the door to his cabin. Rio eyed the rustic décor of the house; enjoying the outdoor flavor of it. In the middle of the room, there were three people; two women and a small boy. The woman on the left had a pale face, long blue-black hair, and was dressed in oriental styled clothing. She had a serious and reserved look on her face that settled, but remained stoic when she noticed Rio.

The woman to Rio's right had brown skin and black hair wrapped in a green bandana. Her manner of dress reminded Rio of the Islands further down south. Standing next to her was a young boy who obviously had to be related to her. The two of them gave Rio a much warmer welcoming than the other person, but Rio didn't feel off put by it. It usually took more than that to offend her.

Dunhill put a hand out to motion to each person.

"This is Iroha, our new town blacksmith; Rebecca, our new town architect, and her son Toni," He introduced them excitedly. "This is Rio. The one I told you about."

"Uh, hi, how are you?" Rio said anxiously when all eyes in the room turned to her. She never liked to be in the limelight. She wasn't shy by any means, but she liked to meet her people in small slices. After that, it was hard to stop a chatterbox like her.

"Rio, don't look so stressed! It's not like we're a firing squad," Rebecca spoke up with a warm smile that eased away some of Rio's apprehensiveness.

"Yes, Dunhill was speaking so greatly of you, we were more worried about meeting you," Iroha said with a small nod. Rio cheeks tinged pink that they were talking about her. She had no idea what Dunhill might have been saying. The old man was kind, but he put a lot of faith in her and tended to exaggerate the things she could do. Now, these people were expecting her to be some cool customer.

The child, Toni, approached her with an innocent grin on his face.

"Is it true that you're going to build up the town all by yourself? That's really cool! You must have a lot of awesome skills," Rio leaned away from the child because she wasn't use to dealing with excitable children. Children with a lot of energy tended to be more mischievous.

"Wait!" Rio's mind back tracked through Toni's previous words. "Who's building a town by themselves!"

"Well, not completely by yourself, but we have high hopes. Let me explain," Dunhill decided to join the conversation after seeing the confused look on Rio's face, who was regretting her earlier decision of not escaping when she had a chance.

'This is what happens when you follow old men, Rio,' She sighed to herself as Dunhill began to explain his plans. He brought out a few sheets of paper with an outline detailing various housing projects and renovations based on price, supplies, and zoning.

"We're going to be the Super Town Revitalization Plan Committee!" Dunhill said; going over the details. "And, we want you to be a part of it!

"Super Town…Revitalization Committee?," The words resounded over and over again. She could understand wanting to build the town back up. Rio actually thought that their plans were well thought out and would be a big improvement to the now barren town. She just didn't know what they needed her for. "With all due respect, exactly, what am I suppose to be doing here?"

"We were hoping you could help. Your dad use to send me all kind of pictures of the woodwork you use to do. We were hoping you might be able to help with the construction on a few projects," Dunhill continued to elaborate.

"I know, but those were just a few bird and dollhouses I use craft when I was younger. I never built a full house," Rio tried to dissuade him from thinking what he was thinking. Yeah, they had only been bird and doll houses, but they had been beautifully crafted. She had even won a some junior contests in her teens. Her grandmother on her father side had been a craftsman, or woman she should say. She taught her all kinds of things before her passing.

"That may be true, but I have complete faith in you. I've seen both your parents and grandparents do great things and I know you can too," Dunhill told her. The sincerity in his voice made Rio quake in her spot. She didn't like how this was turning out. Once again placed under the spotlight, the heat began to make her sweat. She hadn't felt this many emotions since the first time the Martinos had busted down her door as a child and dragged her father away; the next time she saw him had been on a hospital bed. She felt useless then and she felt useless now.

"I-I'm sorry I can't help you..." Rio fiddled with her hands. She just needed something to do to ignore the hurt looks that flashed across the committee's faces. She understood their pain and wanted to help, but she just didn't think she could.

"But, why not? You live here too, right?" Toni asked with a small frown. He wouldn't be able to understand.

"Toni, come over here," Rebecca tried to get Toni off her case, but Rio knew she was thinking the same thing.

They all stared at her like they were waiting for an answer. She couldn't provide one though. The last thing she wanted to do was drag people into her problems on top of everything else. Kind, happy, mountain people like these would either be quick to help her or quick to run her off. Both, she wouldn't be able to stand happening.

"It can't be helped. We will have to find another builder then," Iroha said calmly.

"If we find somebody out of town, we will have to pay a lot of money. Money we don't have," Dunhill shook his head.

'So, I was just cheap labor?' Rio thought to herself, feeling a little less ashamed.

"If we can't get anybody, we will just have to sell the rest of the town. I'm sorry for bringing you all out here," Dunhill took off his hat apologetically. His head bowed in defeat. The other three were just as grim as he was.

"You will have to sell the town?" Rio asked. This was complete news to her. Dunhill turned his attention back to her.

"Yes, there's a buyer who wants to take this land. We've been fighting them for a while, but now they are playing dirty. The government claims that unsettled land can be seized and used for more productive methods and the buyers have jumped all over it. Since there is no one here, it going to go up for grabs soon. At least this way, the few people here can walk away with a few dollars in their pockets to start a new life."

And just like that, the knife that had been planted was twisted deeper. She didn't want all that to happen. She wouldn't be able to live with herself because she doubted the government would think one little farmer would be important enough to leave Echo Village alone. Sucking in a deep breath, she resolved herself to her fate.

"I'll do it," She murmured; eyes glued to her.

"I'll do it!" Rio smirked with more determination. "I'll build the best houses you ever seen!"

They all cheered her on as she feigned confidence; bragging about the skills her grandmother had taught her and how she would be able to quickly picked everything else up. The faith they had in her growing even more.

"Rio, what are you getting yourself into?" She questioned as she walked back down the hill.


	5. Chapter 5

**[A/N]:** Sorry, for the late update. Things got a little hectic and the story was forgotten for a minute. Also, I do apologize for the grammar errors. I'm not good with grammar and I never have been. I do try to proofread, but I guess longer stories throw me off more. I've tried beta readers in the past, but they usually leave me high and dry. So, I just try my best and pray the errors make no one eyes bleed. I'll try to do a little though. ^^;;

**Dedicated to:**

My sis, ANB Lover, CAPJHMPAgirl, Lucy Kay, Karisma Jestler, Gothbear100, Muffin-Made Insanity, pants the musical, and a sea sound.

Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. :)

* * *

_**Hell of a Hairstylist**_

_Early Summer…_

A bead of sweat trickled down the nape of Rio's neck as she hammered at the last nail of the small, cottage roof she had been working on. Once she was finished, she turned in place and sat upright; exhausted. She had heard that time flies by slowly in the country, but it was like the days would never end to her. She had been working nonstop, for the past month or so, to build the structures that the committee had requested and keep up with her farm. She had been unsure of their decision to choose her as builder, but the homes hadn't toppled over yet. They were holding steady and it seemed to be enough for the town folks.

The restoration had stretched her budget tight. The townspeople had helped were they could, but the brunt of it had fallen on her shoulders. She couldn't back out now…or could she? Rio shook her head promptly at the thought. Her mother would have had a field day if she backed out of her commitment now. Plus, everyone was happy and more people were starting to move in as the days ticked by. There were even a few more visitors touring the place now. Hopefully, it wouldn't take that long for the town to truly be bustling.

"Rio dear, make sure you don't work yourself to hard," Rio peered over the rooftop to the ground below. She waved at Hana and Emma who gave her encouraging looks.

"Yes, you don't want to grow up too fast," Emma added to the conversation. Rio smiled at them. She couldn't think of when she had turned into such a people pleaser. It was a lot easier to think of your own self, but she kind of liked that they placed so much trust in her.

"It'd be fine with me as long as I turned out half as great as you guys," She flattered them. They grinned at the complement and waved Rio goodbye.

Finished with resting, Rio finally came down from her perch. She looked her creation over once more. When she thought the cottage was completely finished, she decided it was time to get some lunch. She strolled down the path to her farm. Along the way, she stopped in her tracks after she saw a red-headed stranger looking over the salon she had recently built. It must have been the new hairstylist that Dunhill had mentioned earlier that week.

He readjusted the sign outside before turning around in her direction. Rio noticed he had black rimmed glasses that hid his dark blue eyes which matched the blazer he wore over a vertically striped blue and white shirt. The pair of scissors strapped to his khaki dressed pants confirmed her first hypothesis of who he had to be.

He smirked at her and Rio felt herself blush a little as she smiled back. The stylish hairdresser approached with her confidence.

"Hi, my name is Rio," She held a hand out to him. "You must be Allen? The hairstylist Dunhill told me about."

"Yes, I'm the expert stylist that Dunhill practically begged to come here," Rio nodded slowly as he shook her hand. She had dealt with his type before. She didn't expect much from people in his trade of making people look good. They had to be overconfident in their abilities to work. They were like sharks. Swimming was their confidence and if they stopped, they would drown in the world of glamour.

"If you're Rio, then, that means that you were the one who built my salon, right?" Allen asked her. There was a slight mix of curiosity and haughtiness mixed in his voice.

"Yeah, is there a problem with it?" Rio glanced at the shop. She didn't know much about salons, but she made sure she made everything specifically to the blueprint she purchased from Rebecca. At the time, Rio couldn't believe she had to buy the print, but that's a story for another day.

"No, it's brilliant…really," Allen assured her. "I just wasn't expecting the woman who built it to look like you."

"I'm not sure what you mean…" Rio wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult waiting to happen. Snarky people tended to smile no matter which one it was so she couldn't read his expression. Her heart flittered in her chest when he leaned in close; his face only millimeters away from her own. Rio, who couldn't remember the last time a guy had been this close to her, stood frozen. He took a lock of her hair and examined it between his fingers; a frown coming over his face.

"You have amazing skills, but it's not cute at all; the way you carry yourself and how you treat your hair," He released her hair and took a step back. Rio's felt her cheeks puff out with mild anger.

"I don't think that's for you to decide," She told him lamely before stalking away. She thought she heard him chuckle, but she didn't look back. The last thing she wanted to do was egg him on or show him that he had gotten to her.

Rio made it back to the farm at posthaste; feeling better now that she was away from Allen. She was ready to go home and relax when an irate Betsy ran over to her. Rio sighed as she thought about how much more frustrating her day could get.

"Betsy, I didn't know you could run," Rio told the oddly acting bovine. Rio tried to make sense of her constant mooing, but she still couldn't figure out what she wanted. "What's that Lassie? You're the one who pushed Timmy down the well?"

Betsy glared at Rio and Rio decided to take her more seriously. Betsy's head kept motioning towards her house. Once Rio stopped to listen, she could hear someone clamoring around in there. She gulped loudly and reached into her rucksack. She grabbed her sickle and held it close to her chest nervously. She tiptoed up the front door; ready to maim first and ask questions later. She opened the door and started to swing the sickle around madly.

"Hey, watch where you're swinging that thing!" A male's voice yelled. He used quick, professional reflexes as he grabbed Rio's wrists tightly in his hands; the sickle dropping to the floor with a clang. Rio panted as she stared blankly at the young male now narrowing his blazing, green eyes at her. The man was a head taller than Rio with broad shoulders and lightly tanned skin that had an olive tone to it. His chestnut hair was greased towards the back; stopping at the nape of his neck.

"Jay?" Rio questioned as the man released her hands. He readjusted the black suit he was wearing while Rio stood tensely. His being here was not good. The collectors only made house calls when something was going wrong.

"Don't look so afraid. This isn't about you. Not exactly anyway," Jay rolled his eyes, but Rio didn't relax her stance.

"Then, what do you want?" Rio pursed her lips.

"Your cousin," Jay responded coolly. He took a seat at Rio's dining table and made himself comfortable. "I don't know what he did, but my boss is up in smokes about it. He thought your cousin might have run up here to you."

Rio took a seat across from him. Her features scrunched up in confusion. She didn't have any idea what Henry could have done in her absent that would send him running to her. She hadn't even spoken to him in the months before moving to Echo Village.

"He isn't here,"

"You sure about that?" Jay asked her. His eyes bore into her own in attempt to see if she was lying.

"Yes and no offense, if he was, do you think I would rat him out?" Rio couldn't stop herself from asking the question. Jay just laughed at her common sense.

"No, I don't, but I kind of have to ask. I don't want you to get in any more trouble than you are already in. I see things are going a little easier for you now," Jay was talking about the stable payments that were now being made. "And, I just want it to stay that way. You really shouldn't have to be wrapped up in any of this."

Rio didn't say anything. They had had this conversation before. Jay wasn't a true Mafioso. He married into the family and was just following his father-in-law's lead. He was deadly in his own way, but had more of a soft spot which Rio was glad for. The first guy, who met an untimely ending by drive-by, had been an ass. It was his life goal to make Rio's life hell whether or not she was paying on time. Jay, however, had let her slide a few times in the beginning. She probably would be in her own grave if he hadn't assisted her a few times.

"Thanks Jay, but I got it handled," Rio could see the solemn expression behind his eyes, but he didn't let it show in posture. He stood up to leave.

"Just be careful, Rio," were the last words he said to her when he closed the door. Rio hung her head and took a few deep breathes to come her nerves. She couldn't believe the Martinos were after her cousin, but for what she didn't know and she couldn't just leave to go and find out.

_Knock. Knock._

The soft tapping at her door broke her out of her thoughts. Rio saw that Allen wasted no time in forcing his way through her home. He wasn't smirking this time and looked a little worried at the downtrodden look on Rio's features which Rio quickly wiped off.

"What wrong? Why are you here?" She stood up, trying to shake off her frazzled nerves. The smirk finally returned to Allen's face which relieved Rio. Maybe he wouldn't ask any questions.

"The guy who I passed on the way here, was he your boyfriend?" Rio could bang her head on the wall. She should have known he wasn't the type of guy who didn't ask questions. After all, some people go to the salon just to gossip.

"That wasn't my boyfriend…just a family friend," That sort of described Jay. She guessed. Allen eyed her wearily; probably hoping to hear more. He came near the end of a tense moment. There wouldn't be much to throw him off her trail now. "And, once again, why are you here?"

"I kept thinking about the state of your hair and it was bothering me so I came to tell you that I will give you a complimentary styling," Allen shrugged like he doing her a favor she couldn't resist, but he obviously hadn't read Rio well.

"No, thank you. I'm fine with what I have," She answered him. She was ready for him to get lost. Allen shrugged again.

"If you say so, I guess I could just stay and we can talk more about that family friend of yours. From looking at the two of you, it must be something really big bothering you," Allen hinted to Rio. Rio scowled.

"I let you do my hair and you forget that guy existed?"

"Deal," Allen happily agreed. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah," Rio slammed the door on Allen's way out.

"Jerk…"


	6. Chapter 6

**[A/N]: **Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait. It's the end of the year and things are getting hectic so the next update might take a longer time too, but I did try to make this one a lot longer. Technically, it's about 2x words longer than what I normally write so I hope you enjoy it. Also, this is a NeilxRio story to the end. I might play around with some other ideas, but none of them will get to serious and at the end of the night, she will be going home with Neil. :) Once again, apologies to grammar errors. The longer I write, the worse they get.

**_Dedications_**

My Sis, ANB Lover, Mysterius6irl398, CrazySakuraHarunoXD and Ulyss

Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews!

If you like the story, don't forget to show some love~

Or, just thoughts, ideas, and opinions.

Thanks again!

* * *

**_New Friendships and Stowaways _**

It was another early warm summer morning. Meaning the sun was bearable now, but by the time noon hit, it would be at energy draining proportions. This is why Neil wasted no time in restocking his cart for the day. He was currently at his warehouse/animal sanctuary on the outside of town. It was where he kept his inventory and animals for his business.

He moved a box and turned, only to see a flurry of pink cloud his vision. He took a step back in confusion.

"Pink?" was the only word that could form in his head. He watched Rio chuckled lightly and run her fingers through her hair or what was left of it. It had been cut short; just below her ears. It was much wavier and to top it off, it was a delicate shade of pink. Rio lip trembled as he looked her over. He shook his head when he realized what was coming.

"What you don't like it?! I got it just for you!" Rio flailed her arms wildly. "No matter what I do, I just can't make you love me, Neil! Should it have been blue or red or purple? Why don't I know you anymore?"

Rio dropped to her knees for dramatic affect. She was even able to summon up a few fake tears. However, her bad acting went in vain. Neil ignored her fake tears and went back to stacking boxes. He wasn't in the mood for her antics, but then again, when was he ever?

"We've been hanging out too much. You already know me so well," Rio stood up and dusted off her overalls.

"It's not hard if you're always this predictable," Neil took some items out of the box to organize them on the selves. Rio assisted him. She had picked up on his system a while back and wasted no time in lending an unwanted hand. He didn't complain because she actually did a good job. He tended to forget that, despite her childish personality, she was a hard and competent worker.

"I shall remember that wisely, sensei," Rio bowed deeply. "So, do you want to know why it's pink?"

"No, not really…"

"It's my own fault," Rio pretended she didn't hear him. She petted one of the cows tied to the cart and noted how it liked her more than Betsy. "I told Allen, that's the hair stylist; to give me what he thought was best and voila!" She flicked her hair and grimaced. "He thought this would make me a more feminine looking farmer. I didn't know I was so manly to begin with…"

Neil grabbed the reigns to the horse and began to pull it out of the warehouse. Rio followed close behind. She had laughed lightly at the comment, but it was strained. What that Allen guy said had obviously hurt her feelings. He had seen that look on plenty of faces, usually because of him. It wasn't always on purpose and he would normally just let it go because he felt if he said more he would only make matter worse.

Now, he wished that he hadn't just let it go. The practice of making somebody feel better would come in handy right now. Rio not smiling, or being childishly angry, would always be the one thing to stump him. His heart tightened in his chest as he felt heat flush up his neck. He coughed awkwardly to get Rio's attention. She watched him expectantly which caused a rosy blush to form on his cheeks.

"You're not manly. You're a farmer and a builder. You're strong, but anyone would be a fool to say you're not feminine," Neil said in disbelief. He didn't take Rio for the type to worry about what others thought about her, but he guessed everyone got a little insecure at times. "You shouldn't take the advice of just one guy."

"Then, why should I listen to you?" Rio asked. She was genuinely curious in what he had to say. Neil could be a bit harsh, but he was honest and that went a long way in her book.

"Because, I'm-" Neil stopped himself short when he thought about what he was going to say. The foreign word that was on the tip of his tongue sounded funny coming from his lips. "A friend."

Neil braced himself for an impact of teasing or maybe another dramatic performance, but all he saw was a small smile come to Rio's face. Her cheeks even glowed a bit as the smile continued to grow.

"Then, thank you for the advice. It was the nicest thing I think you ever said to me," She spoke softly.

"I wasn't saying it to be nice. I was just speaking the truth," Neil replied firmly. For a moment, he wished he had never told her to be less predictable. He was never sure how to deal with this Rio; the more serious one who didn't snipe sarcastic remarks or wail around like a little kid. He prided himself on being able to peg people down at first sight, but every now and again, she would surprise him.

"I know you were and that makes me happier," Rio giggled. She grabbed his hand that wasn't holding the horse's reign as they walked. "Neil said he was my friend."

"I know. I was there," He told her sharply. He wanted to snatch his hand out of hers because the swinging was getting annoying, but Rio laughed at his comment and he knew she was back to normal. He decided he would let her get away with it just this once. Though, he had to ignore the smirks coming from Hana and Emma as they walked through town hand and hand. It was the only time he had tried to snatch it away again, but as said before, Rio was pretty strong. However, he had found his hand tightening on hers when they passed the hair stylist's home. He caught glimpse of the stylist Rio had told him about. He was pretty sure he didn't like him already.

They didn't let go until they reached the plaza. They both noticed the empty stall that was next to Neil's. Whoever it belonged to had not shown up yet. Neil had asked Rio if she had any news on the newcomer, but she just shook her head.

"Nope, I didn't hear about anyone who would need a stall. I mean I did build a place for a newspaper business and a restaurant and I have plans for an inn. Oh! Maybe someone moved into the cottage I built the other day," She nudged Neil in the arm jokingly before untying the animals from the cart and leading them into the pin. "What? You scared of a little competition?"

"No, just wanted to see how bothersome they might be," Neil explained. He already had to deal with Rio. The last thing he needed was another person to talk his ear off. Rio just shrugged him off again and gave a little feed to the chickens. They clucked happily around her.

"Oh, you guys are so cute. Why can't Betsy be as sweet as you?" Rio cooed.

"Betsy is a sweet cow," Neil defended, but Rio shot him a look that read, "Are you out of your mind?"

"Says the guy she is in love with. If bestiality was legal, Betsy would off me and find a way to kidnap you so she could force you into marriage," Rio got a fearful look. "Bestiality is illegal up here, right?"

"Of course it is. Why would you-?"

"And, speaking of restaurants…"

"We weren't talking about restaurants," Neil growled under his breath as Rio changed the subject.

"I said something earlier about it. Anyway, the guy who moved in there and Dunhill thought it would be cool to host a cooking festival in a week or two," Rio said excitedly. "I heard that there is good money in good food so I want to join it and win it!"

"And, this has what to do with me?" Neil gave his shop the finally once over before opening for business. There were only a few people lining up and most of them just wanted feed or treats. The animal buyers usually didn't show up until later. He handed out some change while Rio hopped from foot to foot in anticipation. He was thankful that she had promised not to distract him when the customers came. Once the last of the current ones walked away, she spoke again.

"Well, since you're my first truest and bluest friend, I want to extend an invitation to you,"

Neil sighed, not liking the sound of that and against his better judgment, he asked her to what.

"To the Rio's Cooking Festival Boot Camp Training Thing-Thing or RCFBCTT…T for short," Rio counted off the T's on her fingers and resaid the acronym just to make sure _she_ got it right.

"Why would I need to go to that? I don't want to join the cooking festival," He scoffed at her and then, a strange thought came to his head, his brow scrunching in confusion. "And, why is the title so long? What's the point of the extra Thing?"

"That's not important right now. I don't need you to cook. I need you to taste. All you have to do is try whatever I make. I swear I'm actually a decent cook. I just don't know if I'm contest winning yet. Plus, you're the most honest person I know. I need a strict judge, not someone who is going to baby me," Rio said with determination and fire in her eyes. It was almost scary.

"I don't know," Neil said wearily.

"Ha-ha, it sounds like fun to me," Neil and Rio broke away from their conversation to see a spikey, blond haired, blue-eyed boy smiling at them. He was dressed in a white tee with orange writing. A yellow puffer vest, rolled up blue jeans; and red and white converse-like shoes completed the rest of the outfit, but the thing that caught both of their eyes was the tiny, brown, floppy-eared dog yipping at them.

"So cute," Rio wasted no time in gushing over the dog while Neil held back, his pride would never let him openly gush over any animal; even if the need to pet was heavy on his fingertips.

"Isn't it just adorable, Neil?" Rio held the dog close to Neil and he forced his hands deep in his pockets before turning away in defiance.

"Yeah, it's cute," He murmured in hidden embarrassment. Rio looked worried for a moment and she looked between the dog and Neil and then, back to the newcomer. She wasn't sure what was bothering him, but she wasn't going to question him about.

"My name's Rod. I'm going to be opening a pet shop here," Rod introduced himself as he took the dog back from Rio. Rio nodded with a smile that rivaled Rod.

"My name's Rio,"

"Neil," Neil's introduction was curter than Rio's.

"Don't mind him. It's just takes him a minute," Rio whispered to Rod when he got an unsure look on his face. He nodded and smiled when Rio went on to talk about how much Neil loves animals too.

"What are you two whispering about?" Neil asked. He had been distracted when some new customers showed up. Rio and Rod were still being buddy-buddy and chatting it up. He thought he had heard his name being whispered a few times.

"We were talking about the RCFBCTTTT," Rio explained.

"You added an extra T, Rio," Rod laughed warmheartedly with Rio joining. Neil realized it was something worse than just sharing space with a bothersome person. It was sharing a space with someone who got along well with Rio. He could just imagine Rio spending all her time over there now. Both her and Rod would have a hell of a time at his expense; the thought of it sending a sting of agitation coursing through him. "So, can I join in on this training exercise?"

"No, she just needed me," Neil heard the words coming out of his mouth before he realized it. Shocking even him, but it was too late to take it back now. He felt a feeling of dread wash over him as Rio hopped around in joy.

"So, you'll do it?" She asked for clarification and he nodded quietly, ready to kick himself. "Yes! Thank you!" She turned back to a confused Rod. "I'm sorry. He's right. I need his special brand of expertise, but to make it up to you; I'll make you a snack for tomorrow. It'll help you keep your energy up. These sunny days get pretty draining."

Rod rubbed the back of head and smiled again. "No worries, I understand! And, I'm sure I'll love anything you make for me."

Rio wasted no time in thanking Rod and Neil again.

"I'm going to go start on a few things. Come by my house later okay," She waved before running off again. She left Neil and Rod in an odd silence. The dog barking, wishing Rio would come back.

* * *

Rio placed another plate down on the table. It was now full of various soups and salads for the upcoming festival. She had pulled out every secret recipe her grandmother had taught her and they were each fabulously prepared. Rio looked at her watch and noticed she had just enough time to water her crops and freshen up before Neil got there.

She grabbed her water can and went about her evening watering routine when she noticed something was amiss. She carefully went through her field of tomatoes and noticed that a few of them were missing. She could see the places her plants had been viciously ripped away.

"Betsy!" Rio quickly deduced. There was no doubt in her mind that the cow was messing with her again. She was the only one who would be on Rio's farm since she practically got free reign of the place. Rio deliver, a quite unnecessary, kick to the front of the barn doors; making Betsy jump in surprise. "Okay, you have gone too far! I put up with you stomping on my feet and I put up with you tripping me into the water trough, but I will not put up with you messing with my lively hood! How dare you eat my tomatoes!? Is that even good for cows!?"

Betsy eyes narrowed as she mooed at the wild accusations.

"Well, if you didn't do it, who did? Where's your alibi missy?"

Betsy mooed in agitation again before turning away. She stated her case and told Rio she had no time for her.

"Oh, you expect me to believe you were in Milan on a fashion tour?" Rio crossed her arms and shook her head. "You really have reached a new low. I'm going to have to take you in. You're going away for a long time for this Betsy."

Rio was just about to throw the book at Betsy when she heard some rustling nearby. She turned her head to the haystack in the corner of the barn. She saw the hairs on Betsy stand up with worry.

"Betsy, what are you hiding?" Rio asked as Betsy's eyes nervously glanced over at an adjacent haystack. Betsy shook her head to say she wasn't hiding anything.

"So, there's nothing in this haystack?" Rio smirked in triumph. She slowly made her way to the stack. "Betsy, have you been bringing home some hearty studs or something? You sly girl."

Rio joked as her hands almost reached the stack. She paused when she thought she heard someone call her name. She stood up and wagged a finger at Betsy.

"Don't think I'm going to forget about this," Rio scolded her and went back outside. She saw Neil standing in front of her house. His eyes were closed and his lips were tightened in annoyance. He opened his eyes when she approached him.

"It's kind of rude to invite me here and then make me wait,"

"Oh, I don't want to hear that talk from you. I had to handle something. Which reminds me, I'm going to need you play good cop later on. I would ask you to play bad cop, but our criminal has a thing for you and I'm going need that charm of yours to win her over," Rio said thoughtfully as she led him inside. Neil was going to question her further when Rio pushed him in a chair at the table.

"Worry about it later. You have to try everything before it gets to cold," She motioned to the vast sea of dishes laid out in front of him. Neil grimaced and turned sickly pale color. Rio gave him a look of worry. "What's the matter? You haven't even tried anything yet."

"…I don't eat soups and salads…"

"What? You don't like soup or salad!? That's what the whole competition is all about. It has to be one thing here you must like," Rio panicked and started looking through all the soups and salads she had made. "You can't completely dismiss an entire group of food without trying it all."

"I can if I want to and you're not going to change my mind," Neil sighed, getting up to leave, but Rio made him sit back down by grabbing his arm.

"Now, who's being childish?" She smirked before giving him a pleading look. "Please just try one and if it completely disgusts you than we don't have to try anymore."

"You promise?"

"Pinky square and scouts honor and yes, I am a legitimate scout. I sold the most cookies in record history. They found my business tactics were very impressive for a ten year old," Rio reassured him. Also hinting that there was no way he was going to talk himself out of this. She took a spoon from the table and dipped it in one of the bowls. She brought the spoon up to Neil's lip, her hand under it to keep it from spilling. "Just one spoon."

Neil stared suspiciously at the spoon. His lips quivered slightly as he opened his mouth to let Rio feed him. She watched him with great interest as he smacked his lips after swallowing. His face was no longer that sickly pale color, but he wasn't happy either.

"Well…?" Rio pushed.

"…It's okay," He finally told her. "It one of the few that I wouldn't want to spit up."

"Just okay?" Rio pouted and looked at the bowl. "That one was grandma's specialty."

"I can't exactly be the judge of soup if I don't eat it," Neil scowled at her hard understanding of the situation.

Rio huffed back into her seat. He had a point after all.

"Then, what do I need you here for?"

"My thoughts exactly," Neil stood up to leave again with Rio jumping up abruptly to follow after him.

"Hey, wait…whoa!" Rio didn't watch her footing as she hooked a table leg and was sent falling forward. The plates and bowls on the table rattled loudly as Neil instinctively reached out to stop her from falling. He wrapped his arms around his waist to stabilize her and she gripped a hand on his jacket.

"I saw my life flash before my eyes," Rio chuckled nervously.

"It must not have been that impressive if it flashed by that fast," Neil rolled his eyes at her dramatics. Rio looked up at him, still in his arms.

"I'm still young. I have plenty of time to make some decent memories," She pouted before blushing slightly at the situation they were in. Neil, sensing her apprehension, flushed as well, but he didn't let go. The thought didn't seem to process in his mind while his body seemed to enjoy having her nearby. Rio picked at a piece of lint that had fallen on his jacket, musing to herself. "You know I thought you would smell like barn yard animals or something…but, you smell really nice."

Feeling flustered, Neil felt his mouth open to respond when a strange person came bursting through the door. It was a young boy wearing a blue and yellow cap over dark brown hair. He wore a light brown jacket over a pair of blue overalls. His eyes, which were brown as well, glared directly at Neil.

"Get your hands off my cousin!"

Neil looked down at Rio and took a step back, his brain finally deciding to switch back on. The young man's tension left him immediately as he walked to stand between Rio and Neil. He shot another dirty look at a dazed Neil before turning to Rio. He grabbed her in a bear hug.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" Rio asked him after he put her down. She looked over to Neil and watched him start walking towards the door.

"I still have some business to take care of," Neil told her. Rio went to walk him to the door.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," She told him solemnly. He made an "hn" noise, but otherwise left silently.

"I guess I have to keep my eye on that pretty boy," Henry huffed slightly. Rio smacked him on the back of the head, causing his cap to fall off. He grabbed it and hurriedly put it back on. "Ow, what was that for?"

"You didn't answer my question. What are you here? Where have you been? And, what have you been up to?" Rio asked when she was sure Neil wasn't going to come back soon. "Jay came through here and said that some people are after you."

"First off, those are questions. Secondly, I know. I saw him when he left," Henry told her nonchalantly. He looked over to the table full of food. "Don't tell me you made all that for one guy? You must have it bad…"

Rio flushed slightly at the thought. She guessed to anyone on the outside it would look like she made a nice home cooked meal for Neil, but she shook it off. There were more important things to deal with.

"Don't worry about that. That was just for something else," Rio told Henry and he took that as a sign to take a seat and scarf down the nearest bowl he saw.

"Hm, this is pretty good. Not as good as Granny's, but right now anything is better than plain tomatoes," Henry said in between bowls.

"My tomatoes? Exactly, how long have you been here?" Rio took a seat next to him. Henry took a napkin and wiped some soup off the corner of his mouth.

"About a week. I've been hiding out in your barn. You have a very nice farm up here by the way," He explained. Once again, he didn't seem at all concerned about the news he relayed to her.

"And, you didn't think to say anything?" Rio thought she was frustrating.

"I didn't say anything because…I got into some trouble and if I would have told you, then, you would have been in trouble. I knew the Martinos would come looking for me up here and you would seem less suspicious to them if you actually didn't know where I was, but I know Jay. If he tells them I'm not here, he, or anyone else, won't be popping in anytime soon which is why this was the perfect time for me to come out of hiding; only to find you getting felt up by some punk rocker. Who is that guy anyway?"

"Neil is just a friend. He was helping me prepare for a cooking festival so you can put the guns away," Rio rolled her eyes. Henry was cousin, almost brother, and he was very protective of her; especially of any guys she's gotten close to. "Anyway, I guess that was why Betsy was acting so strange; lying cow…"

"You actually have a really sweet cow," Henry defended Betsy. Rio scowled as she murmured harsh insults at the cow that seemed to like everybody else, but her.

"Be careful, she's a man eater…"

"What?"

"Nothing, Henry, I need you to tell me what's going on," Rio demanded. Henry looked down at the empty bowl in front of him and gave a pained sigh.

"I will. Just not now, there are still some things I need to figure out, but I promise I'll explain everything, okay? Can you just trust me on this, Rio?" He frowned and prayed Rio would just let things fly for now. It was hard though. She was brimming with questions, but she did trust Henry too. Finally, she relented.

"Fine," She said and Henry grinned before nudging her.

"Don't look so down. I promised and I never break a promise. Everything will be fine,"

Rio pinched him in the arm, causing Henry to jump at the sudden pain.

"I know it will be alright because you're going to help me work. If you're going to hide out here, you're going to work the farm and you're going to have to pay me back for those tomatoes because now I'm behind. Plus, you going to have to grow or cut your hair. Maybe dye it or something just in case they do decide to come back and maybe some new clothes…I'll have to order them though since we don't have a tailor or maybe I can work on that building next, but which would be cheaper in the long run? It doesn't matter. It's all going on your tab anyway because now my house bills are going to go up…"

Henry sighed, wanting to drown in one of the bowls of soup as Rio named more things to charge him for and more ways he could make her money. This was going to be a long stay in seclusion…


	7. Chapter 7

**[A/N]:** Since I got so much love the other day and I had a little time in between studying, I decided to write and post another chapter. Also, just in case it does take me while to update, I won't feel so bad haha. x) I still have to catch up on some of my Quizilla writing too so that slows me down as well. I was trying to accomplish something in this chapter, but I'm not sure if I did. I'd say what it is, but if I did, readers would be searching for it and my pride would handle it better if I didn't have to tell people what it was and they just picked it out. xD;;

Any thoughts on Henry finding love too? And, if so, with who? I might try to squeeze some of that in there too. I'm trying to keep Rio and Neil's paced slowly, but I don't want to bore people along the way so I hope you're still enjoying that much of it.

_**Dedications**_

My sis, LuckyLucy, CrazySakuraHarunoXD, XxBunnyGueenxX

And, _**Special Dedications**_ to ANB Lover and CAPJHMPAgirl who have reviewed almost every chapter since I started.

Thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, and/or reviews! :3

_I apologize if the chapter seems all over the place. I've been studying and tutoring for the passed 48 hours. I'm kind of warped out. The other chapter I just needed to go back and edit. This was more spur of the moment. Enjoy! x.x _

_As always, spread the love~_

* * *

**_Happiness_**

_End of the summer…_

"Rio, how long do I have to do this?" Henry whined for the fifth time that morning. He commended his cousin on being able to do all of the farm work on her own, but it just wasn't his thing. He was just a city boy through and through. Rio had woken him up at six in the morning and literally dragged him outside. There was still sand in his eyes when she plopped him down in front of the crops. She had gave him brief, but detailed instructions on how to run the farm. He boasted that he could do all the work in mere minutes, but it had been three hours since he started and he was still prepping parts of the fields for the fall crops.

"Until, it's all done. I really need you to be able to do this. It'll make things easier on me while I help build the town," Rio placed her rucksack down on the ground as she sat to take a little break. If she could whip her cousin into shape, she may just have a decent worker to run the farm while she worked on the rest of the town. It would take a lot of pressure off of her. She already completed half the inn she had been working on thanks to being able to shirk on her farming duties. It would be up just in time for the cooking festival, giving plenty of room for tourists to stay.

Henry paused in his tilling, using the hoe to prop himself up. He took a curious look at Rio. She blew a wayward strand of pink streaked hair out of her face. She was currently trying to scrub the semi-permanent dye out and now it looked like a botched attempt at pink highlights.

"I don't get it. Why are you so keen on helping this town?" He asked, trying to get a handle on the situation at hand. Rio just shrugged.

"I don't know. It was simple guilt and pity at first. Now, I kind of just want to. It's putting a dent into my finances and usually that would drive me up the wall, but…strangely, I'm kind of okay with it. I'm not even truly worried about this cooking festival anymore. I kind of just want to have fun with it,"

A small smile came to Henry's face at her confession. When Rio was in the city, she was always riled up. She was such a tense ball of stress that even the slightest miscalculation sent her in a frizzy. Out here, in Echo Village, she actually looked happy. Henry was grateful to this town, but one thought still saddened him; the fact that she really didn't need to be out here or stressed out in the first place, that she was wasting her time for nothing, but how could he tell her that? The news would break her heart. He had did all he could to protect her, but there was only so much one man could do against a couple of mobsters and loan sharks. As long as they didn't lay a finger on her, he would put up with it for now.

"Neh, it must be because you want to stay here with that Neil guy or is it that Rod guy? I saw you making rice balls for him this morning…" Henry narrowed his eyes at his cousin. Rio turned bright red at his allegations. "How many guys am I watching out for here? I'm all for the modern woman, but you better let them know that there's a world full of hurt standing right."

Henry puffed out his chest and flexed a bit as if to prove his point. Rio "Tched", but someone else giggled.

"Well, aren't you a strong one?" Henry watched two young women walked down the path towards both him and Rio. One was dressed in traditional Japanese clothing with a more than stoic look on her face and the other was spunkier. The orange and white horizontal striped socks and fingerless gloves added with a chipper grin was enough proof for Henry. He chuckled at being caught in his little peacock display.

"Yeah, working out on the farm will do that to you," He replied confidently, just because he was caught didn't mean he was going to stop. Tina giggled some more while Iroha looked a bit off put. Rio just made an odd face.

"And, you said you need to watch out for me," Rio replied before standing up and poking Henry in the chest. He huffed out air like a deflating balloon. After toning her cousin down, she turned back to her visitors. "Hi, Iroha!" Rio greeted her committee buddy first. Then, she looked at Iroha's brightly colored companion. "And, you're Tina right? A journalist?"

"Yep, I'm always looking for the next big scoop!" She happily explained to both Rio and Henry.

"Hm, you can always interview me," Henry offered smoothly with a smile.

"Down boy and don't you have work to do?" Rio shook her head at his shenanigans. Henry grumbled something about slave labor, but otherwise went back to farming; though, he did keep an ear out at their conversation. "So, what can I do for you two?"

"We did not mean to intrude, but the committee wanted to see what the status of the new inn was. Also, it is late notice, but there are a few more decorations that we need set up," Iroha bowed apologetically before giving another list to Rio that featured various requests for statues, flowers, and topiaries.

"And, I just tagged along to meet the Great Rio who is making all this happen. I plan on doing a story about you for the upcoming festival," Tina pulled out a pen and notepad, waving it around to show off.

"Was that your idea or are you here to butter me up?" Rio asked steadily, already use to the committee manipulations. She thought they were manipulations anyway. They really were just goodhearted country bumpkins, but she didn't like her emotions being played with.

"A little of both," Tina admitted with no shame. Rio decided to smile despite her initial feelings of the extra work being placed on her. At least, they wanted to show her some type of appreciation.

"I guess I'll just have to get started on these immediately. It'll all be done before the week is out," She promised. After all, with Henry now, it should be a lot easier. Both Tina and Iroha gave her reassuring smiles.

"We believe in you!" They said in unison.

* * *

The following the week, Echo Village was bustling with activity. The turnout for the cooking festival had been better than anyone had expected. There were several booths set up with out-of-towners who were displaying their restaurant's specialties. Rio had heard that Dunhill had shelled out a lot money to get a fancy chef by the name of Pierre to judge the competition. Meaning that even though the town was small, the judge was big and his opinion was important. Traveling to an extremely, barely existent, town was a small price to pay; compared to having Pierre complement their dishes.

It made Rio more than self-conscious as she stared at the pot of her Grandmother's specialty soup. She underestimated who her competition might be. She thought that it would be random civilians from other small towns, not specialty chefs from 5-star restaurants. The soup she had was nothing but a homemade concoction that her and her grandmother had created together when she was about five. She had given her grandmother a bunch of odd items that only made sense in a five-year-old's mind, but with grandma's touch, it had become a family favorite. Rio tried to emulate that same touch. There were a few of her homegrown vegetables added to the mix as well. She wanted to put as much care into her soup as she could, but she wasn't sure how far that would go.

"Hey, it will be okay. I think you're worrying over nothing," Rod tried to calm down a nervous Rio. She had frozen up at the entrance, her hands clutching the pot of soup like she was melded to it. People stared at her strangely as they passed by. She hadn't moved an inch in the past 10 minutes. She was just about to start her new life as a statue when someone approached her from the side and blew sensually into her ear. She smacked a hand over her ear in surprise and glared at the culprit who broke her out her stupor.

"What the hell Allen!?"

"I couldn't help it. You shouldn't have looked so helpless," He shrugged, a cocky grin coming to his face; knowing he got the best of her. He frowned as he looked at her pink stained hair. "And, you really should have let me fix your hair if you didn't like it."

"Weirdo, jerk, molesting my ear," Rio mumbled under her breath. Rod seemed to find the whole situation funny as he watched Rio glare at Allen, who was hurt at being called a molester. "Plus, I think you did enough to my hair. Master stylist indeed…"

"Hey!" Allen griped at the blow to his pride. "You just don't know quality style when you see. Women in the city have pawed at me to get that exact style."

Rio hmphed and looked away from him, not buying the hype which made Allen simmer some more.

"I should have known that it would be you causing all this noise," Neil walked into the scene in all his nonchalant glory.

"Neil, what's up?" Rio greeted him first. "I didn't expect to see you here, seeing as how you are a soup-hater."

"I came to show my support," Rio was about to "Aw," when Neil interrupted her. "Say it and I leave."

Rio puffed out her cheeks in a pout, but she was happy nonetheless to know he had come. Ignoring Rio's pouting, Neil turned his attentions to the two guys standing next to her. The red-head smiled coolly while Rod looked as carefree as ever. Neil didn't hate Rod as much as he thought he would. They differed personality wise, but he was able to find some common ground with Rod and he didn't think he was a bad guy. The red-head, Allen, was still up for debate, considering he had never formally met the guy.

Both Rio and Rod looked between Neil and Allen. They both looked like they were trying to size the other one up, a silent conversation hanging in-between them. Apparently, Neil had found what he was looking for because he focused back on Rio, who was still clutching her pot tightly.

"You're going to be late for the judging. Dunhill likes to be on time so if you don't hurry you're going to miss it," Neil mentioned to her. Rio looked down at her pot and frowned.

"I don't think it really matters. With all these fancy restaurants here, I don't think I stand much of a chance. I'm thinking about pulling out," She grumbled. Neil's expression turned sour, or sourer than it normally was. Either way, it caught Rio off guard.

"After making me go through the trouble of trying it, the least you could do is enter it. What happened to not completely dismissing something without trying it?" He told her angrily, referencing back to what she told him before making him taste the soup a few days earlier. "Or, are you just a hypocrite?"

Rio paused for a moment. Her surprise dropped from her features with a confident grin replacing it. She gave a silent nod of agreement. Rio knew it was a reason she wanted him to be a part of her RCFBCTTT.

"You're right. I got this," She confirmed, heading off to the judging station, but not without leaving a last sentiment. "You boys play nice!"

Neil watched her leave. There was a small, barely noticeable smile on his face as she watched her go. It left as quickly as it came when he heard snickering from behind him. He looked to see Allen and Rod trying to hold back their laughter.

"What?" He glowered at them. They held their hands up in defeat.

"Nothing!"

* * *

Rio twiddled her fingers nervously as she stood front and center in front of the crowd. Some of her nervousness had been shifted away when she had been called as one of the top four contestants. The judge, Pierre, had tasted her soup and claimed that there was something special about it that he couldn't put his finger. It had worried her first because he had either completely praised a contestant's cooking or completely rejected it. He had left her standing with not a clue of what he might be thinking, but seeing as how she was standing here; it must have been something good.

She fidgeted as the blond judge, donned in his classic purple suit and top hat, walked back and forth between them. He named off the runner up. It wasn't Rio. He named off third place and still Rio scraped by. She held a breath when the grand prize winners were about to be announced.

"Second place goes to…Rio from Echo Farm!"

Rio smiled despite the small disappointment rising up in her. She was still proud that she had made it this far and she was ecstatic that Neil had knocked some sense into her. The red 2nd place ribbon wasn't a grand cash prize, but it was still proof of how far she came. She had genuinely just been happy to have participated, that everything had been a success. The cheering crowd was proof that her hard work didn't go in vain.

'A few months ago I would be freaking out right now," Rio mused to herself as Pierre pinned the ribbon on her.

"I couldn't place my finger on it at first, but I know what was so interesting about your cooking compared to the rest. It had a lot of heart in it," Pierre congratulated her again. "A little more technique and I'm sure you will have it next time!"

Rio thanked him and clapped when he announced the grand prize winner. After the winners were announced, Dunhill took center stage and thanked everyone for coming out.

"And, don't forget to stick around for the fireworks display. Back in the day, we used to always celebrate the end of the summer with a grand fireworks display. The tradition went away when our little town began to stand on its last leg, but thanks to the help of one important person we have been able start walking again. I want you to give a big applause to Rio from Echo Farm!" Dunhill welcomed Rio back out onto the stage. She blushed and fumbled her way to the mic, not expecting Dunhill to call her out of the blue.

"I-it's no problem at all. I'm extremely pleased to have been a part of making today a success. I hope you all enjoy yourselves and visit us next time we throw a shindig," She spoke quickly to the crowd, ready to go back behind the scenes. She was normally a chatter box, but she hated being dead center in front of a crowd. It always made her jittery. She preferred acting like a fool around her friends only.

* * *

Neil had found himself a secluded spot on a grassy knoll as everybody geared themselves up for the fireworks show. He had ditched Rod and Allen after the competition had been over and Rio had made a quick run back home to check on her crops. Somewhere in between that, she had made him promise to watch the fireworks with her, something about celebrating her almost win or whatever. Neil didn't know when he had started to let her drag him around and get away with it.

It hadn't been that long since they met, but she had already inched under his skin. It must be a side effect of people with dynamic personalities. They force their ways into your life, unintentionally or not.

"Boo!" Neil twitched slightly, but was grateful he didn't jump or panic at Rio's attempt to scare him. She caught him off guard from behind by grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Do you ever stop playing around?" He asked her as she took a seat next to him.

"I couldn't help it. You shouldn't have looked so helpless…hm…why does that sound familiar…?" Rio murmured on, recounting what she did that day before shrugging it off. "Oh well, can't be that important. I can't wait for the fireworks to start!"

"I don't see why they need them only to end the summer season. They could use them whenever they wanted to," Neil pointed out. Rio smiled at his attempt at conversation. It was rare for to get him to say more than a few short sentences to her at a time.

"Well, if something good is ending, why not give it a good send off? If you use them so willy-nilly, they won't be as important later," Rio reasoned. Neil took that into consideration.

"I guess that makes sense," He agreed when the show started. The unexpected _boom _bringing oohs and aahs from the crowd. The tiny sparkles raining down over them brought a warm feeling to Rio. She couldn't remember the last time she stopped to watch the fireworks. In the past, she was always too busy working to pay them any mind. She had forgotten the calm feelings they incited; despite, the heart pounding _boom_ they used to start.

She glanced over at Neil who had a gentle smile on his face. For once, the seemingly permanent scowl was nonexistent. Neil, sensing the eyes on him, brought his gaze to Rio's. A tiny tinge of pink rose to his cheeks when he noticed she was staring oddly at him. He could feel his heart beating against his ribcage when her hand had moved to cover his. He wasn't sure what game she was playing at. He just knew, like always, he was being sucked in by her.

Rio couldn't explain it, but it was something about this moment that gave her peace she hadn't had in a while. She found herself moving closer to Neil, noting he was moving to meet her halfway. She felt a tremor of nervousness wash through her as she wondered if he was going to kiss her. It wouldn't be her first one, but she was sure that there was going to be something different about it and it wasn't just the fireworks and stars in the background.

"Hey guys! What's up? I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Henry came out of nowhere to sit between them, causing both Rio and Neil to scoot over to give him room; successfully ruining the moment between them. "It seems like I'm not so I hope you won't mind me joining."

"No, of course not, always glad to have you around," Rio laughed apprehensively as she looked away from Neil. He turned away from her as well. Henry didn't need to see the twin blushes on their face to know he really had interrupted them. Obviously, they hadn't even known the extent of what they were doing. Finally composing herself, Rio paused briefly.

"…I thought you and Tina were supposed to be spending time together," Rio's memory shifted back to that morning when Henry had something about wooing Tina during the fireworks display. The group watched another series of fireworks go off as they gossiped.

"Hn…it was going alright for a minute, but I don't think we're good for each other," Henry explained, but he didn't look to hurt.

"She turned you down?"

"Yeah, something about work over love for right now. Oh well, plenty of other fish in the sea," He closed his eyes as if he were imagining it before shooting a sideway glance to Neil, who was pretending to ignore them. "Even though, you two seem to be tangled up in each other's nets."

"…there's nothing going on between us," Neil said angrily like this hadn't been the first time he had to say this. They just got caught up in something stupid and that was it. It was just like any other time he had been caught up in Rio's nonsense.

"Yeah, yeah, just know I got my eye on you pretty boy,"

"What did you call me?"

"Oh dear…" Rio chuckled nervously as the two boys glared at each other. There wasn't going to be a firework loud enough to cover up the storm brewing between the two. "Can't we just get along? Look the finale's starting!"

Rio shouted to get the two boy's attention. They took a moment to stop glaring at each other when the sky was lit up with multiple fireworks. The multicolored sparks eased the tension amongst the group. Sadly, it didn't last after the show ended. Henry stuck close by after the show and Neil, not wanting to be around Henry anymore, ran off; much to the disappointment of Rio.

"I'm sorry I ran your boyfriend off. How many times do I have to say it?" Henry apologized, though he didn't sound sincere when he said it. He walked casually back to the house, his hands behind his head as he strolled. Rio followed behind him.

"Until, you mean it and he's not my boyfriend. He's just a…oof!" Rio rubbed her nose after she bumped into her taller cousin from behind. He had frozen in mid-step, something catching him off guard. Rio peered from behind him, her eyes widening in horror. Even in the thick darkness of night, she could see the outline of her crushed crops. Turning on the outside lights, she rushed over to see the smashed tomatoes and onions. The culprits didn't even spare the small patch of sunflowers she had grown to give out to the town.

Rio's lips trembled as she tried to find something to say as she sunk to her knees. She could feel the tiny prickle of tears brimming at her eyelids. Her breath quickened and her chest tightened up at the horror scene. The crops that she had worked so hard on, the ones she needed to pay the next payment, they were utterly destroyed. In the background, she heard Betsy mooing loudly and thrashing about in the barn. Henry walked over to unlock the latch keeping her in. Betsy flew out the barn as if in attack mode. The loud flapping of the doors still didn't snap Rio out of her stupor. Betsy snorted in anger until she noticed the desponded look on Rio's face. Out of all her torturing, she had never seen the young girl look so pained.

Betsy walked over to nudge Rio gently. Rio looked up at Betsy, her face was red as she tried to hold back the tears. Not being able to whole it all in, Rio threw her arms around Betsy and cried for the first time since her father died.


	8. Festival Days Extra: One

**[A/N]: **Okay, I'm officially done with school so I can start working on the story again. I'm sorry it's been taking so long to update and I hope you're still with me. This is just an extra thing I thought. It's little scenes of festivals that I probably won't use in the full story. I should have a full chapter posted by next week though. I'm trying to see how many chapters I want this story to be so I can pace myself better. I just don't want to write myself into a corner or rush out a plot or squeeze it in last minute. :)

_**Dedications**_

a sea of sound, Otaku Number One, TheGamerPrincessLuna, CAPJHMPAgirl, RoxasYuni4eva, YukiTora17, rrin, solaceromance, vodoodollz, lilyvioletheart and seyeraitak.

I think that's everyone. Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows. 3 So much love while I was away~

* * *

**_Spring Harmony Festival_**

"Hey, Neil! Open the door!" Rio pounded on the young man's door with great enthusiasm. She was pretty sure she could just waltz on in, but she and Neil had had an interesting conversation on privacy that ended with Rio embarrassing him again. They each would knock from now on.

"Do you know how early in the morning it is?" Neil rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"'Does it matter? You were up anyway. You're always up at this time," Rio answered thoughtfully, getting a little miffed that Neil hadn't invited her in yet.

"What do you want Rio?" He didn't argue with her logic. He just hoped she would make it quick and leave. He wanted to finish enjoying his, _previously_, quiet morning.

"Well, since you're so excited to find out..." Rio smiled like a Cheshire cat, swaying back and forth with her hands behind her back. She stalled a little to build anticipation and to see Neil ticked with annoyance before she took her hands from behind her and presented a small plate of cookies covered in plastic wrap. "Happy Spring Harmony day!"

Rio's exclamation was met with silence. The smile dropped from her lips as Neil stared blankly at her. Rio knew that look. It was the look Neil got on his face when he was thinking, "_Idiot!"_

"What? I know you don't really like sweets, but you can at least pretend for the holidays," Rio started to scold him when Neil shook his head.

"Spring Harmony day is for guys to give girls gifts," Neil explained. He rolled his eyes as Rio gaped at him. She looked down at the plate of cookies and then, back at him. Then, back at the cookies again before going back up. Rio frowned.

"Oh…then, where's my gift!?" She pouted at him childishly, prepared to make a melodramatic scene as always. She didn't get her chance though when Neil closed the door. She could hear the bolt of the door lock before she heard the sound of footsteps walking away.

"Neil? Neil?" She questioned, but got no response. "Find be that way! I'll eat my cookies…alone. Out here on this nice spring day that should be spent with friends and family and other loved ones…all alone. On my lonesome…what will I-"

"Just give me the cookies," Neil sighed as he peeked through the door. He was willing to do anything to keep her from yowling in front of his door.

"Only if you come outside with me. No taking the cookies and ditching me," Rio grinned, knowing she was winning him over.

"Do you promise not to bother me for the rest of the day?"

"Maybe…no promises," Rio swore to him.

"I guess that's better than nothing," Neil mumbled as he let Rio drag him away.

"Good, I'm glad you see it my way!"


	9. Chapter 8

_**[A/N]:**_Sadly, not to much going on in this chap. We learn some things and a few things get set up. I was going to make it longer, but I am highly frustrated right now. I wanted this edited, completed, and posted yesterday. However, it didn't work out and I'm chopping it up and posting the rest as another chapter, hopefully, Sunday (in US/Canada Central time) if anyone is interested. I was trying to give myself regular posting days in the hope it gives me the incentive to write more. I wanted to make these days Wednesdays and Sundays. I hope I can pull it off. *Crosses fingers* :)

**_Dedications_**a sea of sound, Otaku Number One, TheGamerPrincessLuna, CAPJHMPAgirl, RoxasYuni4eva, YukiTora17, rrin, solaceromance, vodoodollz, lilyvioletheart, seyeraitak, starartx, Anonymousgirl88, and tiedyedseashells.

I added everyone from last time as well because you needed more than a measly drabble/ficlet dedicated to you. Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows. 3

* * *

**_Beginning of fall…_**

"Did you find anything over there?" Rio questioned her cousin as the sparrows flew away from her constant bothering of their prime worm real estate. She felt bad about scaring the animals off, but she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything.

"No. Rio, we already looked through here. There are no herbs, no flowers, no berries, or anything else. You're single handedly wiping this forest out," Henry replied, looking over the landscape one more time. He was afraid of Rio finding something else he missed because she would only lecture him about it. They had been ransacking and pillaging the various areas around the town looking for nature's goodies. They each had a basket filled to the brim in their hands. Henry arms felt like they were going to fall off with how heavy the basket was getting, but Rio hadn't even broken a sweat. He guessed he still wasn't use to manual labor.

"Well, I need to get money for some seeds. I barely had enough to scrape by this time. It's like being back where I started again. Except now, I have more bills and fees to pay with the revival of the town. I'm on a slippery slope back into the negatives and what's worse; Emma came around asking why I wasn't shipping anything. And, Dunhill's asking questions too."

"Rio, they're worried about you," Henry sighed as his lips tightened in agitation. "I really think you should tell them what happened. I'm sure they would understand and you could take a break from all this."

"No! I don't want them to know. If I tell them about the crops, they will ask more questions or try to find the perpetrator. Then, they will try to help and they'll just be dragged down in all of this. They don't need the drama, especially since things are going so well." She ranted and raved. She had already made a firm decision to not drag anybody else into her business. She just wanted to finish this whole mess off quickly so that maybe she could start her own life. She thought that she had found a good balance between it all, but like always it blew up in her face. She shouldn't have gotten wrapped up in so much.

Instead of celebrating that night, she should have come home and stayed home. She could have been ready for the sneak attack or at least ran them off before they destroyed all of her crops, but no, she had to go out frolicking like she was footloose and fancy free; knowing full well that she should have been handling her business. She shook the negative thoughts away. She didn't have time to dabble in hindsight. It was too late now.

"Or, maybe, letting them help out and find the perpetrator might help you get some people off your back. You said they're your friends. Standing strong with them is a lot better than sweeping dust under the carpet, only to have it pulled from under you again," Henry commented when he saw the defeated look in his cousin's eyes.

"Look, I got it handled!" Rio threw her hands up at his constant lecturing. "I even have an idea to bring in more revenue and everything."

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

"I…I bought a chicken," She said sheepishly as if it solved all the World's problems. Henry nearly smacked himself in the face when the words left his lips. It was a small addition, but he guessed something would add up in the future.

"You bought a chicken?"

"Yes…kind of…I'm making payments on her. I talked Neil into letting me set up a payment plan," Rio shrugged and Henry huffed.

"Some boyfriend he is. He can't even give you the chicken for free."

"Not my boyfriend…" She grumbled. "And, he wanted to, but I insisted. Just because my business is hurt doesn't mean I want to put a dent is his. Plus, I'd still feel like I owe him and cash payments are easier to pay back than feeling morally obligated to pay someone back," Rio explained her case. She hated owing people future favors because people always needed something at the wrong time like how people always needed you to pay them back money when you were penniless again.

"So, you're just shelling out more money," Henry murmured, looking guilty as Rio awkwardly twisted in the field of grass. He knew he was making her uncomfortable with all his questioning and that she was just doing what she knows best. It's not like this was the easiest situation to be in. Henry dropped his basket of goodies and plopped down on the ground, patting the spot next to him for Rio. She hesitantly sat next to him, not exactly sure what was going on. "Rio…I don't know how to tell you this, but…um…the thing is…"

Henry took his hat off and scratched at his head as he tried to find the right words to tell Rio his news. He already had a thought on how she would take it. She was probably just going to sweep it away again, but she still had the right to know what he was up to or at least a small part of it. Taking a deep breath, he looked at an antsy Rio.

"Well, you know I like to snoop around and I can't just leave something alone if it's bothering me," Henry started, still beating around the bush. Rio nodded her head furiously, waiting for him to get to the point. "So, I did a little digging and I found out some things about your father and the whole Martino family thing."

"Like what?" She shook him like a rag doll at the news. "Is that why they're after you? What did you do? Did you…"

Henry covered her mouth to keep the barrage of questions from flying out.

"Hey, I didn't do anything wrong this time. I just thought your whole situation was weird and did some poking around. There something strange going on. Hell, I don't even think your dad's death was some random accident anymore…" Henry removed his hand from her mouth and turned away when he saw light drain away from her eyes.

"You're saying my dad was…?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I don't know for sure. That's why I was hesitant to tell you. I didn't want to put ideas in your head or blow something out of proportion because it might make things worse. It's just that ever since the weight of this debt completely fell into your hands, there was no violence against you so I thought I had more time to do some meddling, but with the way things are shifting I'm afraid you're going to get hurt and I can't let that happen," He nearly shouted, a growl escaping his throat at the thought of not being able to protect his family. The tension slowly faded away when he felt arms go around him as Rio hugged him.

"You don't have to worry about me okay? I'm fine. It's just a few crops. They can be regrown. I rather have you alive to get on my nerves some more than to see you six feet under," She smiled when she released him before shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, Gangster 101: You don't kill the person you're shaking down. Then, you won't get your money. I'm the only one able left. You're too slippery for them to keep tracking down and as sad as it is to say, my mom won't be operating farming tools anytime soon. They got to keep me around."

She snickered when she heard Henry scoff at her logic.

"Oh, that's very reassuring," He rolled his eyes and got up to gather his basket. Her logic was nothing new. She was basically telling him to just let it go, but he knew something funny was going on and he planned on getting to the bottom of it as soon as he thought the close was clear back in the city. He'd just go with the flow for now. "Let's go drop this stuff off and see this new chicken you brought home."

They both made their way out of the mountain area. Rio stopped in her tracks when they were about to past the pond that was centered near the top. It was really the first time she had actually came to the mountains. She didn't think it had any importance until Emma mentioned that a lot of things up here were worth a small amount of money. After that, Rio had dragged Henry up here so fast that they left their shadows behind.

"What's up?" Henry questioned when he saw how memorized by the pond Rio was.

"Don't you think that pond is weird? It's just really shiny and soothing," Rio spoke with wonderment, peering into its sparkly depths.

"It's probably light refraction…something science-y or whatever…" He wasn't that impressed by shiny thing.

"Well, more like reflection than refraction," A cheery voice sounded behind the two of them. Tina waved happily at them. Rio caught a small smile creep over Henry's lips when he saw Tina. She smirked when she realized he had found something of more interest to him.

"Oh, really? That's interesting," Henry replied when Tina moved closer to her.

'Not really,' Rio thought to herself, but she didn't show it. She opened her mouth to speak. "It really is. You should tell him more about it. I always said that he needs to learn more about science and what not. You're a reporter. I'm sure you know a lot of things." Rio rambled on.

"I kind of have to. I don't want to be one of those reporters who just posts stories without knowing any details of what's really going on. I'd be happy to tell you anything you need to know," Tina replied enthusiastically. Henry flushed a bit because Rio was implying he didn't know anything which was far from the truth. His grades were better than hers when they were growing up. He was just one of those people who thought that just because you had brains didn't mean you had to rush off to college and become a doctor or lawyer.

"We would really love to stay, but I have to help Rio drop these off for shipping," He referenced to the heavy baskets they were toting. He would have loved to stay, but the sting of rejection from a few weeks ago was still present. Sadly for him, Rio had other plans.

"No, I'll just leave you two alone. I can take these to Emma. You've been working hard so take little extra time off," Rio snagged the basket out of Henry's hands before he had a chance to object; knowing that, unlike her, Henry was to mature to make a scene. She skipped away, laughing when she heard Tina mention something about Henry's lack of a shadow.

* * *

It didn't take Rio long to get to Emma's. Like always, the customs lady was nowhere to be found. If it wasn't around lunch, Rio could never track her down and lunch had just ended so Rio was sure she was traveling between towns by now. After dumping the contents of her basket into the shipping bin, she heard the front door open and close. She watched a young pink haired girl with glasses and, what Rio would consider, a more stylish version of a paper boy's outfit.

"Afternoon, Yuri!" Rio grinned at Emma's daughter; one of the newest residents of the town. Rio had thrown all her attention into a few buildings after the Cooking Festival fiasco. It was the only thing to occupy her mind until Emma had told her about the outer regions of the town. Rio was expecting to see a few more people pop up after a while.

"…Hi…um…I have to go," She replied shyly before hastily moving past Rio, going down the street to her clothing shop. Rio didn't think anything of it. Emma had already explained that Yuri was painfully shy and it would take a little coaxing to bring her out her bubble. Rio found out earlier that all she had to do was mention fashion, the art of Yuri's trade, and the pinkette would be all smiles. However, as soon as the conversation ended, Yuri would pretty much flee.

Rio continued on, waving and hold casual conversations to anybody she came across. The townspeople were livelier than ever after the Cooking Festival. The visitors were increasing and Rio heard from Dunhill sales and popularity was even going up. Echo Village was no longer a silent ghost town. Rio remembered when she could hear her own steps as she walked. Now, all she could hear was chatter and laughter as people excitedly moved down the street. They weren't a thriving metropolis, but it was a notable difference. Neil had even been happy about the developments and she thought that all the noise would bother him the most.

Speaking of Neil, Rio saw him hammering something to the Ad Bored set up in the center of town. Rio snuck up behind him, leaning forward to read what he posting. He still hadn't noticed her presence yet.

"Revival of the Annual Cow Festival," She read out loud, causing Neil to turn around quickly; ready to go on the offensive. Rio took a step away from him, but other than that, she didn't seem fazed about almost being struck with a hammer.

"I should have known it was you," Neil spoke crossly, sticking the hammer into the tool belt he was wearing.

"Wow, that looks really adorable on you," Rio gushed while Neil blushed at being called adorable. "I didn't take you for a builder type."

"I'm not…any idiot should know the basics of a hammer and the belt is Dunhill's," He insisted before Rio found some way to tease him anymore. He just wished he could get through one day without her trying to ruffle his feathers. Though, it was his own fault for not realizing she wasn't teasing him. Like him, she spoke her mind. It just so happen more embarrassing things tended to come out.

"You're right. I suppose most people should know a few things about basic tools," Rio decided to throw him a bone and not use any of her made up logic to banter with him. Neil looked thoroughly relieved by this and Rio made a mental note of it. "So, about this cow festival?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, basically, it's a competition to see who has raised the best cows. Here take a flyer," Neil handed her a slip of paper. Rio also made another mental note that Neil tended to be less hostile with her when she threw him a bone. Grandma always said you catch more flies with honey.

"You're going to the judge?" Rio asked once she skimmed the flyer. Neil smirked at her at her worried expression.

"Yeah, don't think just because you walk on stage with Betsy that that's all you need to do to compete. I'm looking to see just how much you care about Betsy," Rio took delight in watching the wave of serenity wash over Neil. She loved to hear him talk about the animals. It was nice to see someone passionate about something.

"You got that funny look on your face again," Rio snapped out of her musings when the smile dropped from Neil lips and his evil alter ego came back out. It didn't take away her funny look apparently because Neil was still staring at her strangely.

"I was just thinking that they couldn't have picked a better judge. Don't worry, Betsy and I will do our best. We won't let you down," Rio told him eagerly before bounding away to tell Betsy the great news.

Back at the farm, Betsy was staring oddly at the fluff of white feathers looking up at her. Betsy had been minding her own business, grazing peacefully as always, when the sound of clucking had drawn her attention away from her meal. She thought the chicken had been some wayward intruder until it had malignantly explained that Rio had purchased her. Betsy had decided right then and there that she didn't like the newcomer. The chicken had a haughty attitude about her and it made her spots itch.

"Oh, I see you two met!" Betsy could already hear Rio's annoying voice as she pranced up to him. She glared daggers at Rio while the chicken sucked up to her by running to meet her. "Betsy, meet Cherry. Cherry, meet Betsy!"

Betsy snorted when she saw Rio pet Cherry on the head while Cherry nuzzled her hand in return. Betsy was just about to make her way away from the happy couple when Rio called her back.

"Guess what Betsy? I'm entering you in a cow competition," Rio announced to Betsy who had turned away from her and Cherry. Rio had known that Betsy wouldn't take kindly to Cherry. If you weren't a blonde male named Neil, then you didn't even show up on Betsy's radar. Betsy turned back to Rio and shook her head, already firmly saying no to competing in the festival. Rio puffed out her cheek in annoyance.

"Oh come on, don't be that way! Neil's judging and don't you want him to announce you the best of the best?" Rio tried a different approach by coaxing Betsy with her favorite treat, but it didn't work. Cherry clucked in discontent at Betsy's stubborn attitude; Rio agreeing with her. This was the first time she had ever really asked anything of Betsy. One day of standing on stage wouldn't kill her. She just had to find any way to get at Rio. Rio looked down at Cherry. They had just met, but she bet Cherry would be willing to help her out. Rio scowled.

"Well, you don't exactly have a choice! Be ready tomorrow morning!" Rio told her, walking away with Cherry while Betsy mooed an insult. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 9

**[A/N]: **This chapter might be a little wonky. I wanted it up earlier, but I've been feeling under the weather and I have a job interview today. So, I'm gonna go ahead and post it. Because, depending on how today goes, I might not be up to it later. XD;;

_**Dedications**_

Anonymousgirl88, seyeraitak, CAPJHMPAgirl, mudkippen, Evil Icing, and MayumiL

I think that's everyone. Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! :)

Remember show some love...or criticism, if you like the story. 3

* * *

**_Friends and Family _**

"Alright Betsy, I've been looking these contests up and the first thing we need to do is practice our walk. We have to be poised and in sync. One body, one mind," Rio panted as she explained her findings to Betsy. It had taken all her strength to push Betsy through the barn doors. The cow was a lot stronger than she had given her credit for. She pushed her down a couple times, but Rio kept trying.

When Henry had laughed at her expense, Rio gave him a scary look before banishing him to go work the farm. She had gotten her money for the seeds and was sure Henry could handle that much why she took on the cheeky cow. It took all morning, but she now had Betsy in front of her. Cherry was watching from the side.

"So, let's practice!" Rio went into a strut, hopping that Betsy would come and join her, but Betsy decided to make herself comfy in the nearby foliage; munching on a few leaves. Rio huffed again, but she didn't stop trying. Betsy was ignoring her with great animosity when Cherry walked over and matched Rio's walk perfectly. That brought a smile to her face and a look of distaste from Betsy's. "See Betsy, it's easy. Just look at Cherry. Why can't you just try like her?"

It had been enough for Betsy. She spit out a leaf and left Rio without a sound. The last thing she needed was to be compared to that chicken. She wasn't about to suck up for Rio's affections. She rather be turned into beef patties.

Rio just stood shell-shocked. She was expecting Betsy to put a fight or moo some snide comment, but the bovine had just stalked away. It left a bad taste in her mouth. Rio knew people, and animals, acted differently when angered. Someone, who was normally loud when angered, just walking away meant they were beyond pissed. Experiencing it from Betsy worried her.

"'What's gotten into her?" She asked no one in particular, hearing Cherry nonchalantly cluck as if saying "I don't know."

Rio left Betsy alone after that. She felt like a mother with a rebellious teenage daughter. She wanted to talk to her, but knew Betsy wouldn't respond. She couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't make her angrier, but Rio couldn't exactly let things stay this way. She walked to the town plaza to go visit Neil's shop before it closed. She didn't want to ask his advice because he would lecture her on being a bad owner and that always left her feeling lower than a bow-legged caterpillar. Rio just thought maybe a cow treat could break the ice.

"Henry, told me you were having a hard time with Betsy," Neil mentioned when he saw Rio approaching his cart. He was packing up for the day, but stopped when he saw the forlorn look on her face which meant that Henry wasn't exaggerating. That was one difference between the cousins.

"Of course he did," Rio muttered. It was probably payback for her working him to death these past few days or maybe he predicted she would end up coming to Neil. It was hard to say when dealing with Henry. Rio grunted in indignation. "She just won't listen to me. It's not like I'm a slave driver. I take care of her to your exact specifications and I pretty much give her free run of the farm, but she just keeps on pushing my buttons."

Rio's frown deepened. She never truly bothered with Betsy's attitude, but now, it was starting to annoy her. It wasn't just the upcoming festival. This was just something that couldn't go on, especially since she had Cherry on the farm. Rio planned on adding more animals to her farm and she didn't think Betsy's teamwork was up to par. She expected to hear Neil to go on and on about how she was the one to blame for Betsy's behavior since she was responsible for her. However, Rio was surprised to get sadden instead of anger.

"I know Betsy's hard to work with. She didn't always like me either," Neil told her, fiddling with a piece of paper on his counter. It was like he thinking of some past memory that Rio eventually broke him out of.

"So, why did you give her to me? She seemed completely happy with you," Rio's voice held no malice; only curiosity.

"Betsy needs a lot of attention. I work with too many animals to give it to her. Dunhill promised you would take good care of her. I trust him so I trusted you," Neil went back to packing, not really liking the seriousness of the conversation. It was hard to explain why he did the things he did because he usually made things worse in the end. Rio pursed her lips when Neil said he trusted her. It was pass tense so she assumed he no longer felt the same way.

"I guess that didn't work out so well," Rio responded, feeling bad that she couldn't reach his expectations. Neil closed his eyes like he was thinking again. Rio tilted her head, even more curious to know what was going on.

"Hn...not exactly," Neil commented. Rio could see him arguing with himself, trying to come up with the right words to say next, but in the end, he just shook his head and decided not to continue. It was driving Rio nuts.

"Well, what do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"It's nothing," Neil shook her off. He had officially finished packing and was ready to pull off, but Rio had not relented in her questioning.

"Tell me," She demanded, drawing out an eye roll from Neil.

"I said it's nothing,"

"Tell me!" Rio drew the words out; knowing she was sounding whiny, but she needed any insight on Betsy she could get. She was desperate.

"Okay, just stop whining!" He replied grumpily. "I think Betsy likes you more than you think she does."

Rio paused for a moment before scoffing at the idea which aggravated Neil more. He couldn't understand why people would ask for his opinion and then scoff at his ideas.

"Hah! I doubt that. She messes with me anytime she can. It's like climbing Mount Everest just to get her to let me milk her. ."

"Or, maybe that's her way of saying she likes you,"

"That makes no sense what so ever,"

"You annoy me all the time and yet, you still say we're friends. You're annoyed with her because she acts like you,"

Rio was at a loss of words. Neil had definitely won this battle.

"We-we don't act a like," Rio sputtered at the insinuation.

"Stubborn, forceful, likes to tease people, over-dramatic, immature…" Neil kept listing more things that bruised Rio's ego. "But, in the end, you come through when you're needed. You both have your good and bad faults."

Rio's expression softened when she remembered how Betsy tried to comfort her after her crops had been destroyed. Betsy had often threatened to stomp all over them, but she never did because, even though she didn't know the whole story, she knew that they were super important to Rio. Rio smiled when she remember telling Betsy she was going to beat the spots off her before staying up all night rubbing her tummy when she had got a belly ache.

"My best friend is a cow,"

"Huh?" Neil asked her when Rio's whole demeanor turned around.

"My best friend is a cow," She repeated, not knowing if she should be sad or what. As strange as it was, she didn't feel bad; even though most people would call her pathetic. But, if people could say their dogs or cats were their best friends, she didn't see why she couldn't claim a cow. Plus, you could have more than one best friend. She could always look into human best friends in the future.

Neil had the itch to run when Rio got that "weird look" on her face again. He wasn't prepared to have Rio to grab him in a bear hug. The girl was definitely stronger than she looked. He tried to shake her off, but she had been firmly planted. Neil's eyes narrowed in frustration; despite, the small tint coming to his cheeks when Rio smiled up at him.

"Thanks so much for the advice! I should have come to you sooner," She said before releasing him. She waved goodbye while Neil waved dumbly, still unsure of what had just happened. He would never understand that girl.

* * *

Rio came back to her farm to be met with a cloud of dust and the angry sounds of clucking and mooing. Through momentary lapses of dust settlement, she could see Betsy and Cherry glaring daggers at each other. They each had scuffs and scrapes marring their bodies. A person would think that, in Cow vs. Chicken, the cow would wins hands down, but Cherry was obviously bred from the cock fighting variety.

"What are you two doing?" Rio gasped. She took off her rucksack and shook it at the two animals in a failed attempt to break them up. Cherry, finally noticing Rio, ran up to her. She nuzzled against her leg in an almost cat like manner, causing Rio to coo at her. "You poor thing! Was Betsy picking on you?"

Rio could hear Betsy mooing her case in the background, but she ignored her. Betsy had glared at Cherry ever since Rio had welcomed her to the farm yesterday. The two had spent the whole day playing together while Betsy was quick to find anything to ruin their fun. Rio couldn't help but think Betsy might have started the fight.

Rio reached into her pocket and pulled out a treat to give to Cherry. Cherry clucked happily and pecked at the treat on the ground. Betsy snorted before rolling her eyes. She made her way back to the barn with Rio stomping after her.

"Wait a minute Little Lady!" Rio nagged. She stood in front of Betsy who munched on a piece of hay like Rio wasn't there. Rio had paid her no mind these past few days. If anything, she should return the favor. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two or if this is just some weird animal hierarchy thing, but you two are going to have to stop. We're all going to be living together now and we need to get along."

Rio started and Betsy huffed out a breath of air.

"It's true and don't think I'm not going to give Cherry the same speech," Rio told her. She saw the piece of hay in Betsy's mouth stop moving when she thought she hit a nerve. "So, you are jealous of Cherry?"

Betsy snorted again, mooing out a, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Because you don't have to be, you know?" Rio started. Betsy was pretending she didn't hear Rio, but Rio knew better. She saw an opening and was trying to think of a gentle way to heal it. "I won't abandon you for her or stop noticing you are here."

Betsy mooed loudly in denial, but Rio was sure she had found out why Betsy was acting out twice as more. She thought Rio liked Cherry better. It was like when the new baby came home and the other children started vying for their parent's attention.

"I mean you drive me nuts, but you know…I still think of you as family. I might never be as good of an animal handler as Neil, but I do try and I want what best for you," Rio rubbed the back of her neck in nervously. "So, if you don't want to do the festival. You don't have too."

Betsy mooed a "Really?"

"Yes, really. If you don't want be a show-cow, I won't force you to be one," Rio tried to muster all the resolve she could; though, she died a little inside just thinking about that cash prize. "I actually know something better we do."

* * *

The day of the festival, Rio didn't attend the festival. She, Betsy, and Cherry lazed around the farm all morning. Henry had left earlier and promised to tell her all about it, but Rio didn't care so much about it anymore. Cherry and Betsy had formed a small truce or at least, they pretended to in front of her.

Later that evening, Rio packed up a large knapsack and hitched it to Betsy. She carried Cherry in her hands as they made their way up the path to the forest area. Rio was a bit shaky about leaving her farm alone at night, but she had convinced herself that nobody would bother her fields. It was only dirt and seeds at this point. They would have to really dislike her to come over to dig up a few seeds.

The trio heard the lingering sounds of the festivities as they walked through town. The street lights flickered on to illuminate the newly paved streets. Rio thought the grey bricks had been a nice touch. It gave the once country bumpkin style town a classic European look. The idea was to urbanize the main section of the village and leave to second section to the west homier.

When they reached the forest area, Rio pulled out a large blanket and started to arrange little bags of snacks. She, also, pulled out a few flashlights and extra blankets to set to the side. Betsy and Cherry watched her with great interest. They had never been thus farm off the farm. It was starting to get darker outside and the crickets were chirping in unison. Rio still didn't give them any hints to the festivities until Henry and Tina came tripping through the forest.

"I think I hit a branch," Henry groaned before taking his place on the checkered sheet. Rio shined a flashlight to brighten up the area as the sky grew darker. "I knew we should have left a little earlier."

"Sorry, I just couldn't help taking a few more pictures for the paper," Tina snickered while Henry rubbed the knot on his head.

"Eh, it's not your fault. Rio should have a fire going by now," Henry looked at Rio, who shot him a shady look at being blamed for his discomfort. It wasn't that dark yet and Rio had been working on the campfire when they had finally arrived. It didn't take her long to have the flames blazing strongly.

"See this is nice, I don't see why camping gets such a bad rep in the city," Rio gazed up at the stars once everybody got settled in. She popped a small treat in her mouth and relaxed into the comfortable atmosphere. She didn't even feel bothered that Tina and Henry were making goo goo-goo eyes at each other. Cherry and Betsy were amazed by everything in the forest; being stuck in a barn most of the day would do that to you.

"The forest gets a bad rep because of what happened years ago," Tina announced into the open air. Everyone's attention turned to her.

"Oh, what happened?" Rio spoke first, genuinely interested in where this was going. Tina was immediately geared up to tell the story she had heard days ago.

"It was back when there were plenty of farms to carry the load. So many in fact that the farmers where in constant competition. A farmer by the name of McGruffin was getting the bad end of the deal and out of jealously he started to take his competition out one by one. They say he would even mutilate them into these twisted scarecrows…" Tina continued her story of Farmer McGruffin in greater detail, ending with the villagers chasing the farmer into the forest and his grisly death. "And, he fell from that cliff right there!"

Tina pointed only a few feet away to the Cliffside at the top of the forest. The nearby, hallowed out, tree stump looking more menacing now that the group had heard this story. "They say if you're still stoking around this forest late at night that Ol' Farmer McGruffin might just string you up."

"Woah, really?" Rio looked around the forest, waiting to hear any weird sounds. She wouldn't have thought a town like Echo Village had a dark history. Unless, it was one of those folk legends they told to keep the kids from making out in the forest. There was nothing like a mad farmer to kill the mood.

The group jumped when the sound of crunching leaves echoed through the forest. By the time a weird glow broke through the trees, they had huddled together. Rio practically screamed when Neil walked through the brush, staring at the group with a raised eyebrow. They were huddled so close that their faces were practically stuck together. It made sense that anyone who had found them would think they were crazy.

"Huh, I didn't think you would come," Henry spoke, only to be jabbed in the side by Tina as Neil walked closer to the campfire. He turned his flashlight off when Rio offered him a seat next to her. He looked at the spot hesitantly while feeling the gazes of everybody on him. They were all wondering if he was going to stay or retreat like he always did since he wasn't too fond a groups. A sigh of relief was released when he took a seat. He sat stiffly next to Rio, who was excited to have her buddy join them.

"So, what brings you all the way out here?"

"Henry invited me," Neil told her, getting straight to the point. "And, I was…worried about you and Betsy," He mumbled quickly after that. If Rio wasn't so close she might not have heard him. He was just glad that it was too dark for Rio to see the pink tinting to his cheeks and that Tina and Henry were to wrapped up in their own world to pay them any mind.

"In other words, you were afraid I was going to screw something up?" Rio questioned. Neil made an "Hnn" sound, but otherwise, didn't answer her. "We're doing better. I think we won't be trying to kill each other anytime soon."

"But, you didn't show up to the festival." He mentioned to her, thinking that that was the whole point of her worrying.

"Betsy didn't want to compete and I didn't want to make her. I thought she was just being stubborn, but I realized I was just being selfish. I wasn't taken her best interest to heart," Rio shrugged a shoulder like it hadn't been the big deal she had made it out to be.

"I think you would have won,"

"Say what?" Rio could feel her jaw drop at his words. It sounded like praise to her.

"Your animal handling is tactless at best, but you care a lot and that goes a long way too," Neil mentioned while looking at Betsy and Cherry who were nestled up to each other, sleeping peacefully. When he was still responsible for Betsy, she practically demanded her own barn away from the others. Now, she was socializing with others. He held back a smile. Feeling that everything was okay, Neil made a motion to get up and leave.

"You know you could stay. It's plenty of food left and I'd feel bad if some mad farmer kidnapped you and turned you into a scarecrow,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Neil's eyes widen in shock.

"It's a long story…" Rio laughed before grabbing another marshmallow to roast while she recounted word for word the Legend of Farmer McGruffin.

_It was a peaceful night._


	11. Chapter 10

[A/N]: Okay, this one is short. I was going to finish the second part, but my fingers are killing me. It didn't happen to after I used this bad keyboard so hopefully they feel better soon and I haven't gotten carpal tunnel or something like that.

**_Dedications_**

Konri Kari, Purplesweets13, CAPJHMPAgirl, Anonymousgirl88, Samanthaayers13

I think that's everyone. Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! :)

Remember show some love...or criticism, if you like the story. 3

* * *

_**Real Estate**_

"Hey, Rio, wake up," Rio groaned softly as she turned over to see Henry staring at her. It was pitch black in the house, indicating that it was still night outside.

"Huh, Henry, what's going?" She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes while Henry took a seat at the edge.

"I'm leaving for a few days," He explained, pointing to the bag near his legs. "Don't worry; I'll be back in less than a week."

"That's all fine and dandy, but is there any specific reason you're leaving in the dead of night?" Rio didn't stop herself from raising her voice. She wasn't an idiot. Henry was going to go do some type of covert mission or something like that. He was about to go play with fire and might not be coming back.

"It's complicated," Henry tried to reassure her, but Rio wasn't biting. It was dark in the room, but he swore he could see her eyes glowing with anger. "Okay, it's not complicated. I got some business to handle. It doesn't involve you and I don't have to tell you."

Henry childishly rejected her interrogations. He stood up with his bag and hugged Rio. Her arms were still crossed as he held her, but her anger slowly melted away and she embraced him back.

"Don't do anything stupid," She whispered, refusing to let any tears drop. Henry chuckled.

"When have I ever done anything stupid?"

"What about that time at Old Lady McPherson's-"

"Hey, we said we weren't going to ever talk about that again," Henry laughed again, happy that a smile was back on Rio's face. "Be good kid!"

He gave one last goodbye before heading out the door, the tumbler sounding twice as loud as it used too. Rio stood in the room uncomfortable. She didn't remember the tiny cottage feeling so big since Henry had been staying with her. Walking back over to the bed, she climbed in it with the hopes of falling back to sleep. It was tough at first, but eventually, she couldn't fight it anymore.

The next morning she tended to her farm in silence. Betsy and Cherry relaxing in the shade of one of the trees on the other side of the farm. Rio hadn't expected them to become fast friends after such an awful fight. It took her months to gain Betsy's respect, but she guessed it was easy because Cherry was an animal too and they could find some common ground. Plus, Rio assumed Betsy hated her because she thought she was macking on her man.

"Good Morning young lady, can I have a moment of your time?"

Rio spun on her heel at the gruff sounding voice. She turned to face an extremely tan man. So tan, he it looked like the man was painted orange. He wearing a dark blue suit, crisp and clean as the day he must have purchased it. He was middle aged with kind facial features, but dark eyes. The bald dome of his head shined in the sunlight and when he smiled at Rio, she noticed a gold tooth lodged in one of his incisors.

Rio wasn't good at reading people, but she knew a slime ball when she saw one and this guy looked like the slimiest. He looked so familiar to her, but she couldn't place her hand on a memory. She just had a deep achy feeling in her bones that she shouldn't trust a thing that came out of his mouth.

"What the hell do you want?" She asked him with nothing, but pure malice. The grip on her hoe tightened, just in case she needed to swing it.

"Is this how kids talk to their elders these days?" The man joked. He must not have noticed that Rio wasn't in any mood to play with anyone. "My name is T, Mr. T.

"Mr. T, that's it?" Rio questioned him. She normally would have made a pop reference about his name, but this guy didn't deserve to see her happy side.

"Yes, that's it. I see you got a nice farm here…" Mr. T surveyed the land before continuing. "How about I offer you a deal on it?"

"No, thank you," Rio said quickly. She watched the smile drop from Mr. T's face for her brashness.

"Just like that, huh? You don't even want to negotiate?" He tried to persuade her. Rio shook her head.

"Nope, get lost," She rejected him again. There was no way she was going to sale her farm that easily. It was her home now. Yes, she only wanted to use it long enough to pay off her debts, but she could literally picture herself living here longer than that.

"Not even if I was willing to offer you over a million dollars?" Mr. T gave it one last ditch effort. Rio felt her mouth drop at the word million. She quickly shut it when Mr. T smirked at her reaction. Oh, it was a very tempting offer. She could pay her debt off and she could always just come back to the town.

Rio was about to ask for information when Betsy and Cherry had wondered over, trying to see who the strange man was on their turf. Rio paused in her calculating when she saw them. She could always come back. She knew that, but a part of her didn't feel right about it. This place had been in her family for generation or so she had heard. It was a loving home passed down until it reached her. It was her home now and Betsy's home and Cherry's home. She would even let Henry mooch off of her some more if he wanted too.

They could buy a new house, but would it be the same?

Rio slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I can't sell it and that's the last time I'm telling you," Rio told him. Rio's eyes widen a bit when she saw Mr. T go from orange to red. He looked like he had a few choice words for Rio when an angry moo and cluck sounded from near him. Betsy and Cherry were geared up for a fight if he was looking for one and Rio was ready to jump in with them. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Mr. T pulled out a folded piece of paper from his lapel.

"Here, just think it over some more," He handed a contract to her and made his way down the path away from Rio's farm.

Rio held the paper in her hands. She had the instinct to rip it up, but at the last minute, she stuffed it into her overall pockets. Cherry and Betsy looked at her unsurely, but otherwise, said nothing.

"Don't worry guys it will be okay," She smiled brightly, despite her anticipation.


	12. Chapter 11

**[A/N]: **Hi everyone! If you're still with me, you will notice I have been gone for a while and I apologize. I had problems with my wrist and had to wear a splint and take these pills and yada yada. Long story short: my wrist still bothers me and I do have a little trouble typing, but it's way better now. This is the rest of chapter 10. It was suppose to go at the end, but my hand crapped out on me and I couldn't continue it. It's finished now and I hope you enjoy it and forgive the grammatical errors. Thank you so much!

_**Dedications and Love**_

mikudreamer, CAPJHMPAgirl, Konri Kari, Anonymousgirl88, Breakerofdays, indianaviv, tadamu4eva754, Whimsical Symphony, and ThatAwkwardGirl1234

I think that is everyone. hank you everyone for the reviews, favs, and follows. I appreciate it!

* * *

**_Real Estate: Part Two_**

Neil strummed him fingers against the cloth table in agitation. There were too many people in the restaurant and they were all chattering and clapping very loudly. Michelle, an extremely pink magician, was performing on the other side. Not that he had a problem with the magician; he just usually avoided this place when she was here because of the crowd she drew in. The only reason he was here because Rio had called and invited him about an hour ago. She didn't say specifically why. She just told her he had to come.

Neil thought it was odd. It was the first time she had legitimately invited him somewhere and instead of doing it in her usual way, which was to force him into commission by annoying him. She had kept a cool and calm voice. It had to be something serious, but what? There was nothing important going on as far he knew.

Then, a thought occurred to him. Was this a date?

He stopped tapping his fingers for a minute and crossed his arms, leaning back into the seat and closing his eyes to think this out. It was dumb to think that because if that was the case, Rio would have just came out and said it, but she wasn't always so straight forward. She had the habit of beating around the bush from time to time. Neil let out a frustrated snarl that made the people at the table next to him stare funnily.

Neil shot them a nasty look. The family turned away and pretended he wasn't there to begin with, not like Neil cared. He was firmly making the decision that Rio did not invite him here on a date. They were friends. Friends met each other all the time for lunch. Neil was about to let out a sad sigh, when he stopped himself. What did he have to be sad about?

It's not like he wanted it to be a date with her or anything like that…because he didn't! Though that still didn't stop the blush from appearing on his face when the bell to the restaurant clanged and Rio came rushing through, a light smile on her lips when her eyes finally found Neil's. Neil swallowed the lump in his throat when she was sporting something other than her usual overalls and cowboy hat. The blue and white casual dress fluttered gently as she approached the table. Her hair, which was no longer pink, was still wavy from the original perm. It had grown longer, but it still wasn't as long as when she arrived. Now, it just framed her face perfectly.

"Hey, sorry, I'm late," She said, taking a seat on the other side of the table; grabbing her menu. "This is such a nice place right?"

"Uh…y-yeah," Neil stuttered lamely while Rio looked up from her menu and stared at him strangely.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, putting the menu back on the table.

"Nothing…" Neil scowled; wishing the heat from his cheeks would leave. He glanced sideways to the same family, who seemed to be wondering why such a nice girl would be wasting her time with a mean guy like Neil. That made Neil's scowl deepen. He looked back at Rio before he was forced to say something to their nosy neighbors.

"Welcome to Chez Clement! Can I take your order?" Neil let out a sigh of relief when Felicity, the waitress, came to distract Rio while Neil got himself together.

"Yes, I will have the Fall Meal and he will have the Shrimp Chili," Rio gave their orders while Felicity wrote it all dutifully before leaving. Neil felt his mouth go slack. He had finally gained his bearings.

"I don't need you to order for me," He told Rio when Felicity left.

"But, that's your favorite right? You said you always order it when you're here," Rio told him. She wasn't seeing the problem here.

"…that's not the point," Neil explained.

"Well, I'm sorry that I offended you in some way. It's fall. Tomatoes are out of season and I thought you would just want to enjoy what you could while Clement still had a few," Rio pouted, upset that her good deed had gone wrong. "Do you want me to call her back over?"

"No," Neil sat back in his seat with his own childish pout while Rio tapped her fingers on the table, humming lowly. It was the only sound to the now silent table. Until, Rio stopped and sat up straight. Neil watched her in boredom, wondering what she was up to now. His right eyebrow lifted curiously when Rio nodded to herself as if to finally agree on something in her head.

"Okay, I know you're wondering why I called you. I've been debating on whether or not I should tell you because stuff like this doesn't come easy to me. I usually like to keep secrets to myself," She started. Neil was the one sitting straight now as he gave Rio his full attention when he thought he was finally going to get some answers. He didn't blush when the thoughts of a confession popped into his head. He just pushed the thoughts back; despite, how they nagged him in the background. Rio reached in her rucksack and pulled out a letter.

'Cue the cherry cheeks,' the nagging voice in Neil's heads cackled loudly when Neil did flush at the letter. He mentally punched out the nagging demon before tuning back in to Rio. She looked really nervous and that only increased Neil's anticipation. He still hadn't decided if she should reject her or not. He didn't even know how he felt. Rio opened her mouth and Neil felt like a vortex would open through the floor and swallow him whole.

"This weird guy called Mr. T, just Mr. T. like 'I pity the fool' Mr. T. came to my farm today," Rio rolled her eyes at the name while she opened the letter up to show Neil. "He says he wants to buy my farm."

Rio took a breath while she waited for Neil to respond, but he just had this dumb far way look on his face. It almost looked like something shattered inside of him.

"Neil, did you hear me? Hey, are you feeling okay?" Rio snapped her fingers to get his attention when Neil's head met the table; the glasses on the table rattling at the _Thud!_ Neil sat back up and sighed loudly. Rio just blinked in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?

"No…" Neil's lips tightened before his facial features finally relaxed as he took the letter from Rio. "Is that all you wanted to ask?" He asked her and Rio shrugged a shoulder.

"Pretty much," Rio answered slowly which appeared to agitate Neil.

"Why are you wearing that outfit?" He asked Rio, who was completely lost to what was going through the blond's head.

"Yuri gave it to me. I traded her a huge batch of Granny's Famous Herb Soup for it. I was trying it on when I realized I was late so I didn't have time to change," Rio explained. "Neil, what did you think I wanted?"

Neil blushed bright red at the question. He was going to start getting dizzy from the blood rushing to his head which he shook furiously.

"N-nothing," He tried to change the subject immediately. Rio was pretty smart it wouldn't take long for her to catch on if he kept this up. He read over the letter Rio gave him. "So, this letter? He really wants this much for the farm?"

"Yeah, I looked it up. There are farms worth millions, but they are huge compared to mine. There's no way this is legit," Rio huffed. "I just can't figure out what he would want my farm for."

Rio wondered out loud and Neil looked thoughtful for a minute.

"What does this guy look like?" He asked her and Rio explain Mr. T and his bad spray tan. "I know that guy."

"You do?" Rio said in awe.

"It was before you got here. He use to stalk around all the shops. Sometimes he would try to buy them. Other times he would just be creeping around outside. Until, Dunhill and I would run him off. We could never figure what he was up to," Neil continued. "Then, he got to your farm and it drove him crazy. He was always trying to get Dunhill to sell it to him, especially since no one was using it at the time. Dunhill asked the owner, who I guess was your dad, but he wouldn't sell. That was around the time the town starting going downhill and everyone moved away."

"You don't think…?" Rio started to ask, but Neil crossed arms and looked away sadly.

"I don't know if he was the cause or not. You showed up and we just didn't worry about it anymore," A small smile ghosted over Neil's lips as he thought about how much Rio had turned this town around. If Rio caught it, she didn't mention it.

"Do you think I should worry about him?" Rio really needed to know. She didn't need to be on anymore people's hit list. She had enough problems as it was and now, she was dragging other people into them. She didn't know what to do and with Henry gone, Neil was the only person she could turn to at a time like this.

"Not really," Neil said thoughtfully. "He never really caused trouble in the past; Other than being really persistent in his sale's pitch. If you're worried, I could-"

"No!" Rio stopped him before he could finish his sentence. The table next to her shot her a look and she glared at them. She was just as annoyed at their ease dropping as Neil was. Once they turned away, Rio tried to relax. She rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers. She could feel a storm brewing on the horizon. Her lips tightened as her brain starting running through different scenarios of what this guy wanted from her and what she could do to block against any attacks he might have used to get it.

"Rio?" Neil's soft tone broke her out of her careful planning. Neil's normal scowl was gone as he watched her with worrying eyes. He was truly concerned for her and that made Rio's heart clench with guilt. "If you need any help-"

"No, it's okay. I really mean it," Rio gave the happiest smile she could. She might as well become the North Star with how far the smile shone. "Thank you for your help."

"Uh…" Neil was at a loss of what to say. His mouth was agape in confusion at Rio's abrupt change in mood. "No problem." Neil mumbled and Rio nodded excitedly.

"Oh look, our food is here!" She continued to change the subject when Felicity brought their plates over. "I'm starved!" Rio only brought up livelier conversation after that. They both enjoyed their time together, but there was still a dark cloud lingering over them.

It was early into the evening by the time Rio left Chez Clement. She was in a better mood and was less anxious than this morning, a usual after spending time with Neil. Humming to herself, she made the trek back to her farm to finish her day. She had to change first, re-water her plants, and wrestle Betsy and Cherry back into their barn and coop; respectively. Cherry wasn't the problem, but as of now, Rio was down by one with Betsy and needed to fix her record. She smirked at the genius plan she had tonight in getting even with Betsy. It was all in good fun though, just part of the craziness of her new family.

Rio had just stepped foot on her land when she heard it; the noises of stomping and strained grunts. She ran towards the direction of her fields and found a strange guy destroying her field. He was a tall, plain faced guy with black hair and pale skin that was red from the damage he was doing. From the looks of it, he had just started, but he was doing a thorough job.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Rio yelled, literally charging the guy. He tried to take off in the other direction, but slipped on a smashed eggplant. The guy went tumbling to the ground and Rio jumped on top of him. She didn't actually have a game plan after that; never really being in a fight with the full intent to harm. They wrestled around in the dirt with Rio trying to strangle the guy and the guy trying to pry Rio off. He finally some leverage and flipped them over. He gripped the collar of Rio's dress tightly and pulled back his right fist to land a blow.

Rio braced for the impact when a hand covered the strange guy's fist and twisted it harshly behind his back. The boy let out a pained cry, but Neil only twisted harder. Rio was afraid she might hear a bone snap. Neil's glare turned from the guy and softened when he looked at Rio.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, his sharp eyes giving her the once over. Rio felt the prickle of heat rushing to her cheeks and she nodded dumbly. She tried to wipe the smashed plant bits and dirt away from her, knowing it was futile, but her adrenaline was still pumping and it her something to do while she stood to face Neil.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," She smiled for reassurance. Neil didn't return it, but he was clearly relieved that she was okay. That didn't make him release his hold on the guy in his hands though. "What are you doing here?"

Neil's head motioned to the rucksack near his feet.

"You had left it behind. I was bringing it back to you," He replied. Rio thanked him and went to pick the rucksack up. She looked back at the struggling vandal in Neil's hands.

"I'll go get some rope or something to restrain him."

She told Neil, rushing away, but coming back just as quickly. She and Neil had the guy tied tight in a matter of minutes. Neil thought they should hogtie him from a tree branch, but Rio was firmly against it.

"I mean he didn't even hurt me so it should be fine," Rio told Neil while the guy watched them with distain from his position on the ground before looking away to struggle in his bonds. His hands had been tied behind his back and sock stuffed into his mouth.

"It's not just that," Neil snapped at her mercy. He crossed his arms and nudged the guy with his foot to get his attention. "Does your grandmother know what you're doing?" Neil asked him before yanking the sock out of his mouth. The guy got a harsh look on his face at the mention of his grandmother, no longer struggling in his restraints.

"You know that guy?" Rio questioned Neil.

"It's Hana's grandson," Neil said miserably. "He's always stalking around here in search of cash or worse yet, lying to Hana to get it. I knew he was a con man, but I didn't think he would do something like this."

"How could you do that to your grandmother? You know how much you probably hurt her and for what?" Rio scolded him. Yeah, she wasn't the most righteous person on earth, but she would never take advantage of a kind elderly woman; especially if that woman was her grandmother. Rio could just imagine Hana still smiling brightly while her grandson fed her lie after lie and she wouldn't even question him, just write the check out. Hana's grandson grimaced at Rio's harsh tone.

"…I have gambling debts, okay?" He sighed. "The guy who I owe told me if I come here and squash some plants than he will let me go. How could I refuse? You ever hear of the Martinos? They mean business. I just wanted to get away from them any way I could and this seemed way easier than bumming off my grandmother or pulling some cheap stunt."

Rio clammed up when he mentioned the Martinos. Her whole body went tense when she could actually understand the guy's desperation.

"Rio?" Neil called her name softly when he noticed how quiet she had gone. She was watching the ground with great intent and her hands were tightly clenched. At the sound of her name, she looked at him. She immediately relaxed, her hands unclenching before smiling dazzlingly.

"Yes, did you need something?" She asked without a care in the world. Neil was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor, but he ignored, now wasn't the time to question her about it.

"No, it's nothing," Neil looked down at Hana's grandson again. "So, why did this guy want you to vandalize Rio's farm?"

"He just wants you off this farm. I don't know why. He said something about your ol' man never wanted to give it to him. If I was you, I would watch my back," He looked at Rio. "I really didn't want to do it, but you understand right? After all, you-"

"Okay, okay, I forgive you! Haha!" Rio laughed as she patted the guy on the head with a brighter smile. "How about we let you go and you never…come back…here again!" Rio spoke loudly and clearly, a smile on her face and a threat in her voice. The guy gulped and nodded enthusiastically.

"Just like that?" Neil stopped Rio from reaching for the ropes.

"Yeah, he only got one plot and those plants weren't worth that much so I say we let him off with a warning," Rio laughed nervously again.

"Don't you even want to know who his boss is?"

"No!" Rio shouted in agitation before realizing her outburst. She calmed down and lowered her voice. "I mean no. Besides, he won't tell anyway. His boss thinks he's a secret and if he rats him out, he'll just be in bigger trouble and I don't want to do that to Hana's grandson. I think that would hurt her more."

Rio explained, knowing the tricks of the trade. This guy would be like an ant to someone affiliated with the Martinos. He'd come back broken and Rio wouldn't have that on her hands. Neil finally resolved and cut the ropes. Hana's grandson shot off like rocket and hurried down the darkened path, leaving Neil and Rio alone. Neil wanted to know why Rio was acting so odd, but she moved away from him, heading to the barn.

"He probably locked Betsy and Cherry up again. I need to go let them out," She whispered quietly. "Thanks for all your help, but we'll be fine now." She finished with another reassuring smile, but Neil wasn't buying it. He didn't like how secretive Rio was being and it was beginning to piss him off.

"You're not fine and I wish you would tell me what's wrong instead of smiling all the damn time," Neil told her. Rio stopped.

"I have nothing to tell you because there is nothing wrong," She explained more firmly this time before walking away again. Neil scoffed at her words, but walked off without a sound. He was going to let Rio pretend as much she wanted to. He wasn't going to waste time with her games.

Rio frowned as she watched Neil walk away angry, but she knew it was for the best. She could handle it on her own.


	13. Chapter 12

**[A/N]**: Hello, everybody! I'm back with my longest chapter ever. 7000 words. It's because I love you all so much. 3 However, since it is so long and I hate grammar with a passion, there may be some mistakes; though, I really did try to catch most of them. ^^;;

**_Dedications_**

Balanced Arts, Alibac, Amenable13, elations, CAPJHMPAgirl, Karisma Jestler, Anonymousgirl88,

**_Special Dedications_**

AquaticSilver, who came across my story and reviewed every single chapter. I'm glad you're enjoying Betsy.

Mryhh, who wanted to see Rio interacting with the girls of the town more and that's what you will get in this chapter.

indianaviv, thank for worrying about my wrists and the encouragement! They're doing a lot better. I'm so happy you loved the chapter!

:3 See, I read my reviews~

Thank you all for the follows, favs, and reviews. They honestly keep me going!

* * *

**_Halloween_**

"Rio, come on, you can't mop around here forever," Tina poked Rio in the side. Rio shifted away from her and wiggled deeper into her bed sheets.

"I'm not mopping," Rio's muffled voice came from under the comforter. Tina's eyes narrowed and her cheeks puffed out at Rio's self-denial. The young girl had been withdrawn for over a week now. She would solemnly come help out around town and then, lock herself in her house.

"Is it because you fought with Neil?" Tina lifted the blanket and stuck her head under. Rio stared blankly at her in the semi-dark space. "Because couples fight all the time. It's healthy as long as you talk it out and make up later."

"We're not a couple!" Rio sat up and flipped the blanket off. "And, I'm not moping over him. Who told you that?"

"Everybody," Tina shrugged before smirking. "Word is Neil is being twice as grumpy than usual. He looked a little sad too."

"He did?" Rio questioned, worry and guilt evident in her voice.

"So, you did have a fight!" Tina stated rather than asking again. Rio huffed and got out of bed.

"We're fine. What did you come here for anyway?" She asked Tina after she was done laughing at her expense.

"I want you to come on an investigation with me and a few others," Tina suddenly turned serious as she looked up at Rio from the bed. Rio raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"What kind of investigation?"

"There rumors about the undeveloped side of town. Deep in the trees, they say it's an odd purple and black house that disappears and reappears. There are also other weird things going on out there," Tina took out her notepad to read off the list of odd ongoing she heard about from interviews.

"You sure it's just not a prank? Halloween is tonight. It might just be some kids staging the plot to a scare everybody for the festival," Rio rolled her eyes; knowing Tina only wanted to go because she wanted to see a ghost. Tina was a super "sleuther" and her guilty pleasure was paranormal investigations.

"Then, we can prove it's all a hoax. It's a win-win either way," Tina lifted the camera around her neck as if to show that Rio couldn't possibly refuse now. "Plus, it will take your mind off of Neil." She ended in a singsong voice just to get to Rio. It worked.

"Fine, I'll go, but not because I want to get my mind off Neil. I'm going to show you there's nothing bothering me and I'm up for anything as always. See same ol' Rio," Rio smiled with her hands on her hips like nothing was wrong.

"If you say so," Tina shook her head in disbelief, but kept her mirth all together. "At about 6 pm, Meet me at the crossroads on the other side of town, the one leading up to the forest area."

"Don't worry! I'll be there with bells on," Rio joked as she watched Tina walk out the door. She smacked herself in the head when she was sure Tina was gone. "Rio, what have you gotten yourself into?"

She looked at the time and decided to get back into bed. There was plenty of time to take a nap before her little excursion with Tina. She relaxed back into the sheets and closed her eyes. She couldn't sleep though which was explainable because she wasn't really tired. Sleep just made the days go by faster. She tossed and turned, never finding a comfortable enough position. She grew bored at her attempts to nap and stared at the ceiling.

Rio hated being bored. When she was bored with nothing to do, it was like the weight of the world would descend upon her. All her problems would present themselves and demand a solution which made Rio feel more melancholy. She thought she had everything all figured out, but it just got more and more complicated. The contract from Mr. T was still in her pocket. She carried it everywhere with her. Over the past week, all she could think of was calling him and telling him she would sign it.

It would solve all her problems. There was more money than she thought she would ever need. She could change a few things in her life and be done with all the mess she had been left behind. Maybe she could go back to the city. Go to school and find a real job, a great apartment, a nice car or something like that. However, it was this think nagging thought in the back of her head that was screaming for her not to do it. Like it knew it would cause a huge domino effect, but Rio couldn't figure out what.

Rio wanted a sign or a symbol. Anything at all that could lead her on the right path would help her.

Scowling, Rio sat up in bed and threw the blankets off. She reached for her shoes and dug her feet into them, none to gently. She just needed to get away for a moment. She left out the door, giving a slight wave to Betsy and Cherry, who cheerlessly watched her leave.

Rio headed straight into town. It was decorated head to toe in Halloween decorations. There were a few kids running around in costumes and all the shops and houses on the main street advertised items with clever spooky puns. It was something Rio could usually appreciate, but this time her mood went completely sour. She felt like a zombie herself, just stalking around with no real purpose or goal. She let her legs carry her away. The only time she focused was when she saw someone she knew. Then, she would duck away. She really didn't want to speak with anyone or pretend that everything was cheerfully okay. It just wasn't and the ability to keep it that way was becoming a burden.

Thinking she could find some solace away from Echo Village, she headed to the river area on the outskirts of town. Thankfully, there were not too many people stalking around. Most of them were taking the path into town from the city. Crossing the bridge and making a left, Rio took a seat on the river bank. She removed her socks and shoes before placing her feet in the cool water.

A legitimate smile, for the first time in a long time, came to her face as she felt a couple of tiny fish tickling her toes. The trickling of the water coming from upstream was like music to her ears. It helped Rio remember why she loved it out here so much. Everything was just peaceful. Even the lush, fall foliage was like a blanket of warmth surrounding her.

"Who am I kidding? I could never give this up," Rio whispered to herself as she stared across the river. She tilted her head to the side when she saw flashing glowing lights coming from the other side. They were like to golden glowing orbs dancing in the shade, moving back and forth. They were playing in the trees. Rio rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but the little orbs were still there. She looked back to the few people behind her. They didn't seem to see the lights. She looked back across the river. One orb just stopped in place before it began to jiggle around. Rio watched the other orb flash over to it as if to check on it. They both looked like they were struggling.

Rio rose to her feet. She carefully went to the group of rocks that ran between the two sides and crossed the river. Hopping off the last rock, she walked over to the orbs. They both stopped their struggling to look at her before struggling harder. The closer Rio got, the clearer the orbs got and she could see they were actually tiny elves or creatures resembling elves. They were the size of her hand with green hair and matching eyes. There was a boy in red and white that was currently struggling in a large spider web while the girl, dressed in purple and white, glared at Rio. She flittered around Rio angrily, trying to attack her.

"Ow! Hey, I'm not here to hurt you," Rio tried to speak in a calm voice; despite, the harsh blows the miniature girl was striking on her head. "I can help you."

"You can see us?" The fairy girl, or whatever she was, floated in front of Rio.

"Y-yeah," Rio sputtered, happy the assault had stopped. "He's stuck and I can get him out. Unless, you want him to be spider bait."

The young girl huffed, but moved to the side to let Rio through. No being phased by the attitude, Rio watched the male elf close his eyes as she got closer. He cowered like he thought she might eat him. Rio didn't blame him for it. She figured she would think the same if some giantess came bearing down on her. Pinching his shirt, Rio gently lifted him out of the web which was now broken. She placed him in her palm and removed the excess webbing. Once he was free of the webbing, he stood in her palm.

"Thank you so much!" He floated out her palm giddily which made Rio grin. The boy was obviously more expressive, and kinder, than the girl; who rolled her eyes at them. Rio's face dropped when the indifferent look on her face reminded Rio of a sharp eyed male which whom she had been avoiding.

"What's the matter?" The red elf creature must have seen her expression drop. Rio quickly shook it off.

"Nothing, my name is Rio," She introduced herself to the pair. "I live here in Echo Village."

"We know who you are. We know about everyone here," The girl said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Alice," Rio heard the boy sigh at his sister's apathetic mood. He tried to smile again at Rio. "My name is Aaron and that's my sister Alice. We're Harvest Sprites."

"Oh, so that's what you are?" Rio commented while they both nodded enthusiastically with Rio matching; until, she stopped. Rio's eyes shifted side to side slowly as she realized something. "I'm not crazy am I?"

She yelped to no one in particular.

"I know I've been under a lot of stress, but come on!" She paced back and forth, stealing glances at the siblings. Aaron was at a loss for words and Alice was thoroughly enjoying Rio's freak out. "These things don't exist!"

"These things have names," Alice chimed in, poking Rio in the forehead; sending her back and onto the ground.

"Wow, you're strong…" Rio muttered while she rubbed her forehead.

"Rio, we want to take you to meet the Harvest Goddess," Aaron told. "Since you saved me, I'm sure she might grant a wish for you."

"Is this what they call a delusion of grandeur?" Rio asked stoically. She was pretty sure she was experiencing an episode, but shrugged anyway. "Okay, I'll go along with it for now. Take me to your leader magical sprites."

"Okay!" Aaron agreed, though a bit unsurely, and Alice narrowed her eyes in contempt.

"Let's get this over with," She said before speeding off up the path; Aaron following after her.

"Come on Rio!"

"I'm coming, but I have to put my shoes on," Rio hopped after them in an attempt to run and cover her feet. She chased them up the hill into the mountains. They took her straight up towards the cliffs; stopping when they reached the pond there.

"So, where's the goddess?" Rio panted, placing her hands on her knees while looking at Aaron and Alice.

"She's in there," They said in unison. They pointed to the pond and Rio moved closer to take a look. She always thought that there was something odd about the pond. She may have originally been a city gal, but she knew it was hard to find water that crystal clear.

"Alright," Rio answered slowly. "What now? Do I have to say some magic words?"

"No, just toss in a crop you made and harvested yourself," Aaron explained. Rio dug around in her rucksack and pulled out a pretty pink flower.

"I have this nadeshiko,"

"That'll work. Just toss it in," Alice told her. Rio didn't question it. She tossed the tiny flower into the pond. It floated on the top, the tiny ripples of water moving away from it. Rio stood deadpanned as nothing else happened.

"I knew this was insane," Rio shook her head at her own stupidity.

"She must be out," Aaron looked down sadly.

"Can she do that? I mean just leave." Rio asked them.

"Not necessarily, the Harvest Goddess has ponds all over the world. This isn't the only place that she protects," Alice bragged for the goddess. "Just say your wish and we will make sure she gets it."

"Fine," Rio huffed. She folded her arms and tried to think of a suitable wish. She only got one and she didn't want to waste it. Plus, she had seen plenty of movies were wishes go wrong because the wisher wasn't specific enough or the granter was just a trickster. Finally Rio had a wish.

"Please guide me through my troubles," She silently prayed. "For the better!" She ended just in case the goddess guided her to worse troubles. Rio didn't think anything would work, but she did feel strangely better afterwards.

"There. Now as soon as she gets back, I'm sure she will grant it," Aaron reassured her.

"Thank you," Rio smiled, the small weight on her shoulders leaving. "I have to go now, but I promise I'll come back and visit."

They nodded and waved as Rio walked back down the path. Rio figured, even if she was going crazy, it wasn't such a bad thing. At least, it cheered her up for the time being. It gave her the power to go meet Tina for this ghost house nonsense.

Taking her time, Rio walked into the other side of town and up the path to the top layer of the valley. Tina was already there with Iroha and Felicity. They were chatting and stopped momentarily when they greeted Rio.

"So, you two believe in the ghost house or did Tina make you come too?"

"Well, a lot of the customers keep talking about it and I thought it would be interesting to see it for myself," Felicity stated her case in the matter.

"Hauntings and legends aren't uncommon in my home town. I think something may be out here," Iroha looked back at the vast grove of trees that held reported paranormal activity. Rio wasn't so convinced. After her encounter with the Harvest Sprites, she was determined to prove that she was just seeing things. Nobody else in the grove had seen the sprites.

"Hey, sorry we're late," Michelle came running up the path, dragging Yuri along. They stopped in front of the group. Michelle grinned brightly at them while Yuri smiled sheepishly.

"Great, everyone is here!" Tina exclaimed, her excitement pumping up the group. "Off we go!" She pulled out a self-drawn map before leading the group into the forest. "I created this based off the eye witness reports. I think, if we follow it, it would lead us to where we need to go."

Rio chuckled at the badly drawn map with cutesy pictures drawn al around it. This was going to be like the blind leading the blind. Looking to her right, she spied Yuri and Michelle.

"I'm not surprised to see Michelle, but Yuri; you're into this stuff too?" Rio asked her as they walked deeper into the forest. Yuri blushed at the question.

"I'm…not sure…there could be something," She admitted shyly to Rio.

"See Rio, you're the only skeptic here," Michelle chimed in. Rio pouted at being the outcast in the gang.

"I can't help it. I still think is just some strange prank," She told them.

"It's pretty drawn out to be just a prank," Felicity noted.

"The pranksters would have come forward by now," Iroha agreed with Felicity.

"Yeah, in my experience, pranksters usually want people to know their handiwork. Even if they get in trouble, they still get the credit," Tina was the one to finally shove the sword in to Rio's reasoning. "But, it's okay if you don't believe. The skeptics always go first so we can get away when the ghost takes you." Tina joked.

"That's not true!" Rio argued. "The skeptics make it to the end, finally becoming true believers."

"What horror movies have you been watching? It's common knowledge the skeptics go first. They don't believe so they don't have the knowledge to avoid common mistakes," Tina argued back.

"No, they don't believe so they don't go running after every little bump in the night; therefore, living to the end because the ghost just has to come to them instead of leading them away or catching them in stupid situations because they are the only ones left," Rio defended. "They wouldn't come to a spooky wood in the first place. They would stay home because nothing is out here."

"Unless, they wanted to stroke their ego and prove to the group that nothing is there," Tina countered. Rio's eyes narrowed when Tina smirked. Oh, she was good, but Rio was going to prove she was better. She was going to make a rebuttal when a strong chill pushed pass the group, making them shiver in their spots.

"D-did you guy feels that breeze?" Felicity questioned the group as she crossed her arms and rubbed her upper arms to warm up.

"Winter's around the corner. Of course, it's going to be breezy," Rio suggested.

"No, compared to where we came from its much colder now," Iroha pointed out. Which was true, Rio noticed. The temperature had made a sudden drop the deeper they traveled.

"Oh, this is so exciting! Right, Yuri?" Michelle was hopping from foot to foot in anticipation.

"Right…" Yuri said unsurely.

"We must be getting closer," Tina kept leading the way. They finally came to a patch of clearing. They stood silently as the breeze picked up again. The sun had finally set and it was pitch black, besides the small glow of the flashlights they were carrying.

"L-look!" Yuri spoke louder than Rio ever thought was possible. The group's eyes looked in the direction Yuri was pointing to. There were orbs floating. There were about five of them and they reminded Rio of the orbs she saw with Alice and Aaron except these were a dark purple and moving very quickly towards them.

"There's nothing there Yuri," Michelle pouted as if Yuri was playing a trick on them.

"Guys, we should go," Rio felt a chill go up her spine. These orbs may have looked like the sprites, but they felt much more malicious. The closer they got, the more fear Rio felt.

"Don't tell me you're scared now?" Tina exclaimed. They didn't believe her and Rio needed to get them away. Luckily, they got the message when a loud shrieking noise broke the air and a nearby tree was sliced down before their eyes. They took off running in the other direction before the tree hit the ground. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Rio claimed.

"But, you saw them,"

"That doesn't mean I know what they are!" Rio complained.

"Look up ahead!" Iroha took their attention away and pointed out a house. It was a small manor with purple coloring and black undertones. The strangest park about it was the pointed and curved roof coming from the top. The group didn't have time to think of it as they made it past the purple, bricked fence. Rio looked behind her back and stopped when she saw the orbs disappear as soon as they brushed past the gate opening.

"Stop," Rio commanded as she stood still. "They're gone."

"Are you sure?" Felicity asked her.

"Yes, they are gone," Yuri answered her, looking around with Rio.

"They disappeared as soon as we got here," Rio explained, looking up to the large house.

"The ghost house," Tina stated the obvious. They all gawked at the ominous home. The air had grown dense and it was getting harder to breath. The same cold air was blowing through the yard, kicking up the fallen leaves in a flurry.

"Should we go in?" Iroha asked the group and everyone's eyes darted around, unsure of what they should say.

"We found it. We know it's here so I think we should go," Rio indicated.

"But, what if those things are out there?" Michelle looked back to the trees with fear in her eyes. Rio shook her head.

"I don't think they are," Rio told her. She wasn't getting that same malicious feeling.

"No, we can't leave. We came all the way out here. We might as well check it out," Tina objected. "We'll go in for a few minutes and come right back out."

"I rather stay out here," Felicity mentioned, Yuri and Michelle nodding with her.

"Fine," Tina relented. "Rio, Iroha and I will check out the house. You guys wait here. We will be out in less than 30 minutes."

Iroha seemed okay with the plan, but Rio wasn't so willing.

"Why does Rio have to go too?" Rio eyes narrowed as she questioned the team leader.

"Because you can see those things. They're may be more and we need eyes to help us," Tina giggled and grabbed her hand to lead her up into the house. Iroha walked next to them. "It will be fine."

Iroha was the first to reach for the door handle and pushed it down to open the door. She peeked inside while Tina and Rio stood back.

"I don't see anything," Iroha told them. She pushed the door open more to allow the other two girls in. Tina was the last to close the door in an attempt to keep Rio from leaving. Rio pouted the whole time, but otherwise accepted her fate.

"Now, what?" Rio asked as she looked the foyer over. There was a room to the left and to the right with a stair case running up the side of the right wall. The whole place was still decorated in purple and black, but it was stylish nonetheless. The only thing that bothered Rio was the fact that it looked lived in. She had never been to a haunted house before, but she was sure they were never this clean. There wasn't a speck of dust in the place.

"We explore. I get a few pictures and we leave," Tina held up her camera. "Once I get them developed, we can see if I picked up any ghost…or anomalies." Tina's voice waned near the end as the trio heard a series of odd footsteps coming from the top of the stairs. Rio gulped when she didn't see anything.

"I think it would be best if we moved faster in our investigation," Iroha said in a calm voice. Rio was about to start sweating bullets. She couldn't see how the girl could stay so calm through all of this.

"I have to go up there," Tina said in awe.

"Are you kidding me?" Rio snapped at her. "Aren't you freaked out by all this?"

"A true journalist laughs in the face of danger," Tina announced with a hardy laughed that echoed downstairs. There was a loud crash in response. Rio saw Tina gulp, but it didn't stop her. She watched the young girl walk up the stairs, snapping pictures the whole way. Iroha followed her, looking back as if to ask Rio if she was coming.

"I guess I have no choice. I can't let my friends get eaten," Rio mumbled and griped the whole way up. "Or, I could for letting them get me into this mess."

The upstairs was no different than the downstairs. There were no lights on as the carelessly wondered around. There were many rooms, all shut tightly it seemed when Tina attempted to go into one.

"There's nothing here. This is the most boring house in the world," She complained. All three of them jumped when they heard a door slam on the opposite in.

"You just had to say something. Don't we have enough photos?" Rio tried to get them to leave again.

"I thought you were a skeptic Rio," Tina said in between clicks.

"I am…but, this is starting to get tiring," Rio lied. She was just ready to get out of the odd place. She watched Tina take a few more pictures while Iroha surveyed the modest decorations. Rio was starting to feel a little calmer in her surroundings when nothing jump out at them yet, but then, the same footsteps echoed off the walls again. Rio could hear the floorboards creek and she felt them move under the weight of something drawing nearer. The trio turned their heads to the other side of the hallway, a loud roar echoed off the walls.

The trio's eyes grew large as a brown teddy bear, with sharo teeth, a little purple bowtie and black top hat, came storming towards them and it did not look excited to see them. Clicking a picture, Tina screamed as the three girls ran in the other direction. The hall curved to the left as they made their escape. Tina, who was closer to the front, let out another shriek when an opening in the floor opened up and she went through it. It closed as soon as she fell through.

"Tina!" Rio and Iroha stopped running when they saw their friend disappear. They could lament for long on her disappearance when they had to narrowly dodge a black cane swinging between them. The bear was still after them.

"This way!" Iroha grabbed Rio's hand and led her to an opened room. She slammed the door shut and locked it. The two grabbed the dresser lining the wall and moved it over the door to block the way. They heard the thudding stop in front their door. It paused for a minute. Rio and Iroha held their breath as they waited to see what it would do, but then, the sound of stomping headed back down the hallway. They didn't feel relieved though. Tina was still missing.

"Okay, we need a plan to find Tina and then, get out of here," Rio tried to remain calm.

"Yes, but first we will have to deal with the creature outside," Iroha said thoughtfully. Rio agreed with her. She looked around the room at all the antique furniture.

"I didn't bring any of my tools with me, but there might be something around here that we use to fight it," Rio suggested. "It's a giant teddy bear. It can't be that deadly."

"Though the sharp and sheer size might cause up trouble," Iroha warned Rio, who paled at the thought.

"That…may be true, but I mean…we can't just leave her or stay locked in this room," Rio spoke sadly. Iroha placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a hopeful smile.

"I'm not suggesting it. We just need to plan out our next steps more carefully," She reassured Rio.

"Right!" Rio felt a smidge better at the situation. Going back to her plan of finding a weapon, she and Iroha searched the room, but there was nothing of interest there. Finally, Rio's sight landed on the closet in the back of the room. Not thinking much of it, she walked over to it and looked inside. It looked like a walk-in, but Rio couldn't tell by how dark it was. She started to get an eerie feeling of dread. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she decided to leave it be, but as she went to close the door, she felt a pair of hands grip her and pull her inside; the door slamming behind her.

Rio turned back to try and reopen the door, but it wouldn't budge. She banged on it loudly and she could hear Iroha on the other side doing the same thing.

"I'll get you out," Iroha tried to assure her, but Rio had extreme doubts when she heard Iroha gasp loudly before the room on the other side went silent.

"Iroha?" She called loudly, but there was no response. She was gone. Rio took a step back from the door. She felt something brush beside her and she quickly spun around. There was no one there. Her eyes widen when she realize she wasn't standing in a walk in closet. The curtains on the window fluttered open; letting in moonlight to reveal it was another room all together. It was covered head to toe with teddy bears. There beady black eyes making Rio cringe.

"What the?" Rio looked over the room in confusion. All of a sudden she felt the hair on her neck stand up and rush of goose bumps prickling up her arms. There was someone behind her. She couldn't hear their footsteps, but she knew they were moving closer to her. Rio's lower lip trembled as she willed herself to turn around. Slowly moving in place, she saw her eyesight blur when the familiar feeling of tears threatened to drop.

"Dad?" She whispered. The blond translucent figure smiled kindly at her. His familiar blue eyes shined brightly down at Rio, making her feel a certain happiness that had long since left her.

"Hey Kiddo," Rio released a racked sob at the sound of his voice, her tears flowing freely. "Hey, don't cry. It's okay. I'm okay."

"B-but, but," Rio babbled, not being able to find her voice. She felt her dad moved closer to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. He was so cold, but his attempt to comfort her brought her great warmth.

"I know it hurts," He whispered soothingly. "But, I don't have much time left and I really need to tell you something."

Rio took a step back from him and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath to try and relax before giving her full attention to him. Though she felt the tears might come back soon.

"What is it?"

"No matter what you do don't sell the farm to Thredson," He spoke seriously.

"You mean Mr. T?" Rio asked him, her eyes wide at the declaration.

"Yes, he's a no good crook and he'll hurt the town if he gets the farm," Her father explained to her.

"But why?" Rio questioned again. Her father was about to answer, but he got a pained look, his spiritual form fluttering in and out.

"I…can't hold this form much longer," He smiled through the pain though. "I know you'll do the right thing. I love you, Rio."

"I-I love you too," Rio whispered before he disappeared from the room. She stood there in silence, feeling completely alone to the world or so she thought. She heard someone call out her name. She glanced towards the window when she was sure the voice had come from outside. Rio's downtrodden mood lifted when she saw that Tina and Iroha were outside with everyone else.

Forgetting her father for the moment, she tried to lift the window to call back, but it wouldn't lift. She opted to knocking on the window in the hopes of getting their attention. It worked. They looked up at her. Happy at first and then, their smiles dropped. They looked worried as their yelling voices got frantic. Rio didn't know what was going on. The whole world outside began to fade from her view. It turned into a swirl of black and purple.

Rio took a step away from the window. She could hear a cheerful laugh in the distance. It got closer and closer. Rio eyes darted all around the room as she tried to think of a place to hide, but it was too late. The door opened.

**oOo**

"And, there was this giant teddy bear and I fell through a trapdoor in the floor…" Tina was hysterical as she relayed the story of what happened to Yuri, Felicity, and Michelle. They stood wide eyed at the tale.

They had been bored, playing tic tac toe in the dirt with a stick when Tina shot out of a chute in the front of the house. It closed up tightly behind her; though she was desperate to get back in. After hearing her story, they could see why. They tried the front door again, but it was sealed shut; the windows too.

"Woah!" The four girls jumped away when the chute reopened and Iroha landed on the ground. They rushed over to help her up.

"What happened in there?"

"What's going on?"

"Where's Rio?"

The questions all came out at once and Iroha held her mouth open, head moving left to right. She didn't know who to answer first.

"Give her room," Felicity made them take a step back so she could explain better.

"Something dragged Rio into a closet. I was trying to get her out when the teddy bear grabbed me and threw me down the laundry chute," She explained. "I don't know what happened to Rio."

They all stared at the house wondering what they should do.

"If they let you go, then, shouldn't Rio be next?" Michelle was the first to speak.

"That's right! She should be coming out soon," Tina prayed silently as she stared the chute down. She just knew Rio would pop out next, but doubt crept up inside her when nothing happened.

"I knew skeptics were the ones to go," Tina wailed. She couldn't believe she had gotten her friend into so much trouble. "Rio!" She called out, only to be joined by the others.

The group kept calling out to her. They just needed any sign she was alive. When she didn't answer or come out, they decided to try and break in again. Before they could walk back in, they heard a knocking from up above and looked to the upstairs window. Rio was trying to get their attention. They were relieved to see she was okay, but it only lasted seconds as the house slowly dwindled from their view.

"T-there's s-someone in there," Yuri looked at the window next to Rio's as the house continued to fade. She saw a set of red eyes glaring down as they faded away with the house.

**oOo**

Rio stared nervously at the woman who entered the room. She had long wavy hair pint up in half-ponytails on each side. She wore a folksy purple dress with various colors in horizontal and vertical stripes. She had a tattered cape hanging from her neck and she stared blankly at Rio, a small twinge of annoyance twitching in her eye.

"Who are you? Better yet, why are you still here? I thought I sent you outside," The woman spoke callously to her.

"I'm Rio and…you didn't?" Rio tilted her head to the side, completely lost. That made the woman's stare intensify. "You're the one making the weird stuff happen?"

"My name is Witch Princess. And, yes, I was trying to scare you away, but since you decided to stick around anyway, I guess I'll have to punish you for trespassing."

"Eh?" Rio took a step back when she saw the purple aura swirl around Witch Princess.

"Maybe I should turn you into a frog or maybe a teddy bear that way I can add you to my collection," Witch Princess smirked, referencing to the hundreds of teddy bears lining the room.

"Hey, don't be so hasty. I'll leave if you want me to," Rio continued to back up, her hands up for some type of protection.

"Too late, I've decided," She laughed as the magic picked up around her.

"Dum-Da-Da-DAA!" A melodize voice rang throughout the room. Witch Princess's magic stopped when a flash of white light overtook the room. Rio saw Witch Princess scowl harshly at the new woman who entered the room. The woman was decked out in a flowing dress and gold accessories. She had green hair with twin buns and a long braid in the back. She smiled sweetly like an innocent child.

"It's you! What are you doing here?" Witch Princess glared evilly at the newcomer.

"Rio here made a wish for my protection so I can't have you hurting her. I sensed you were here earlier and thought if I left for a while, you would disappear so I'm sorry if I didn't respond at the time Rio," The woman seemed unconcern with Witch Princess's utter contempt for her. "You don't have to worry about her bothering you anymore. I'm here now."

"Uh, thank you? And, you are?" Rio knew she had finally snapped. She was sure she was sitting in a padded room and all of this was a twisted dream.

"The Harvest Goddess," Witch Princess scoffed when she announced her.

"That's me! Now, let her go and shoo shoo out of here, skedaddle now," She humored the clearly angry Witch Princess.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll let her go, but don't think will be the last time you see me. Since this seems to be your new permanent spot, I'll have plenty of time to think of ways to get back at you," Witch Princess threatened her. However, the Harvest Goddess ignored her.

"Rio, you should come visit me at the pond when you get a chance. I'll try and help you anyway I can, tah tah!" And, with another flash of light, she was gone.

"Such a strange person," Rio sighed.

"I can't stand that woman…" Witch Princess sneered. She glared at Rio next. "Well, you heard her, get out!"

Despite the angry tone, Rio didn't move though.

"Can I ask you something first?" Rio asked. She was feeling brave in a cocky sort of way now that her life was no longer in danger.

"What is it?" Witch Princess relented easier than she thought.

"You said you were trying to scare me away," Rio started slowly. Witch Princess nodded for her to go on. "So, why did you use a ghost of my dad to do it?" Rio finished the hurt evident in her voice.

"I didn't make a ghost of your father. I wouldn't tease you that much," Witch Princess stared at her strangely. "How would I even know he was dead?"

"B-but, he spoke to me. He tried to give me a message, but disappeared,"

Witch Princess looked thoughtful for a moment. She stared out the window. The purple and black swirls had disappeared and there was sunlight making its way through.

"Maybe he came to seek you out. Spirits are known to freely walk the earth on All Hallow's Eve. He must have had something important to tell you," Witch Princess explained to her.

"Something important…" Rio thought about the message again. It made sense.

"The sun is rising though. He must not have had enough time before he was summoned back to the afterlife. They only get one night here," Witch Princess further explained.

"I've been in here all night!? It only felt like a few hours," Rio exclaimed after taking in what Witch Princess said.

"You got stuck in my vortex. Time moves differently here. Your friends are still waiting for you outside. You should hurry up. They're getting worried,"

"Oh, right, thanks!" Rio panicked again and went flying through the door and down the stairs. She dashed out the front door, her friends jumping up from their resting places to meet her. They crowded around her to tell her how worried they were, Tina especially.

"Don't you…do that again…I was so worried!" Tina sniffled as she hugged Rio tightly; her tears staining Rio's shirt. Rio patted her on the back.

"Hey, I'm fine," She moved Tina away from her shoulder. "Turns out I was right. It was all a prank the owner of the house set up," Rio explained to them all. "She was tired of people of people trespassing here."

"But, we saw the whole house disappear," Felicity replied.

"Smoke and mirrors, she's just as good of a magician as Michelle," Rio lied, knowing full well that there was more going than parlor tricks. She had been right. Skeptics always believe in the end.

"O-of course, I knew that it was a prank!" Michelle giggled.

"You did?" Yuri spoke up in disbelief, not liking that her best friend left her out the joke.

"Yes, but as a fellow magician, I couldn't tell their secret,"

"That's really impressive Michelle," Iroha stated, though Rio didn't think Iroha actually believed her. It was good to just let them believe what they wanted to.

"Hm, it may not have been ghosts, but I guess this will make a good story anyway," Tina mused as she began to write a couple of things down in her notebook before flipping it back close. "Okay, let's go have breakfast on Rio!" Tina announced before dashing off.

"What!?" Rio practically screamed.

"Oh that sounds great, I hope we can order whatever we want!" Michelle giggled again, following after Tina.

"Thank you very much Rio," Yuri expressed her appreciation before going after them.

"Hey, I didn't say I was paying!" Rio yelled after them.

"It's okay Rio. You can use part of my discount," Felicity smiled warmly at her.

"But, I'm not paying. Iroha, help me out," Rio sniffled to her friend, hoping she could convince them to leave her wallet alone.

"Does Clement offer any traditional Japanese dishes?" Iroha asked Felicity.

"Oh, we offer everything," Felicity reassured her.

"I miss how you guys treated me when you thought I was dead," Rio lingered behind them sadly. She was going to find a way to get them back for this.


	14. Chapter 13

**[A/N]:**_"How long has it been? Let me count the days..." The author sighed disappointingly at herself._ Sorry, it's been a while. I have no good excuses for this. I just hit one of those patches were no inspiration or motivation would come to me. Then, I hate everything I write and yada yada; mope mope. Woe is me and such. I hope that nobody has abandoned me and that you won't be too angry; especially since this is a short one. They may all start coming out short. I can probably get them out faster and feel less pressure to bulk them. I don't know and we shall see. :)

**_Dedications_**

Kaia-Scythe, SarahRules17, TitleTextHere, AnimeObsessed98, Somthing, AquaticSilver, Anonymousgirl88, CAPJHMPAgirl, ,

**_Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it~!_**

**_That being said,_**

_If you like the story, show a little love. It goes a long way and I would like to know if anybody is still reading ^^;;. You can make a serious critique or you can just say you like/hate it. __Though, if you do hate, please say it in a courteous way. Or, if you have any opinions, ideas, something you might want to see in the story, send it my way too. I'll look over it and see what I can do. Much love to you all~  
_

* * *

**_Winter…_**

"Come on, just knock," Neil squirmed as he held his fist up to Rio's door. No matter how much he willed it, it wouldn't budge. It was only a few inches away from the carved out wood and all it needed to do was knock. "Stupid hand." Neil grumbled as he shoved both hands into his pockets when an icy breeze chilled them to the bone.

Freezing in his boots, he thought he should have never come over here to begin with. He should have just left well enough alone. If anything, he should have been happy that Rio wasn't speaking to him. No more annoying jokes or sounds...No more cute smiles or bright eyes...

"She's not cute…" Neil mumbled to himself. He sighed in frustration at his own thinking. He wanted to turn around and walk away, but just like his hands, his feet had a mind of their own. They obviously wanted to know if Rio was home. They wanted him to stay and apologize, even though none of this was his fault.

_"__If it's one thing I learned about relationships, it's the man is always wrong. Even when you're right! It was the only thing that keep my relationship going," Dunhill laughed hardily as he patted Neil on the back; the brute force of the outdoorsman making Neil move forward a bit. "You should apologize to Rio for whatever happened between you two."_

"I shouldn't have to apologize," Neil huffed again at the earlier conversation he had with Dunhill.

_"__Neh, Rio has been moping lately. Why haven't you gone to see her! What kind of boyfriend are you?" Tina's cheeks puffed out as she told Neil off for abandoning her best friend. _

"We're not in a relationship," He groaned.

_"__I hear you haven't been taking care of you girlfriend. If you leave her alone for too long, someone might steal her away from you," Allen taunted when he caught Neil brooding around the plaza. _

"Over my dead body!" Neil growled before he realized what he had said. He had reached his fist up again to bang harshly on the door when he stopped himself. He smacked himself in the forehead, a loss at what to do. "Who would want an annoying girl like her anyway?"

"Who's annoying? Rio?" Neil's head snapped around at the smooth talking male's voice, his footsteps crunching in the snow as he approached Neil. "Hm…I guess she can get a little noisy, but at least, you will never be bored."

The smooth talker was somebody he had never seen before. He was young and wearing an expensive suit with brown hair and green eyes that had a sparkle to them when he spoke about Rio. Neil felt something clench in his chest, wondering who this guy was and what he had to do with Rio.

"The name's Jay by the way, no rhyme intended," The guy, Jay, stuck his gloved hand out for Neil to shake it. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged, bringing it back when Neil didn't reach out to him. "The strong silent type. I can understand that. I got more respect for guys like you. I bet you send all the kiddies running with that glare. You looking for a job?"

"No," Neil replied curtly, feeling put off by Jay's boldness. "What do you want?"

"The same thing as you," Neil scoffed at the reply. Glaring, he felt a light blush come to his face when Jay smirked at him. "Not in that way I guarantee you. I'm married. Rio and I are just _friends_."

"What do I care about that?" Neil shot him another glare. "I don't think she's here anyway." She would came out by now. Neil was pretty sure she would have been able to hear his ramblings. Jay's eyebrow's perked up at his gruffness. He turned his head to survey Rio's farm. By the look on his face, Neil could tell that something was bothering him.

"She's doing pretty good out here; better than I expected, but that's Rio for you," He shook his head, turning it back to Neil. "If you see her, tell her she's been placed on hold for the time being and not to send anything in."

"Placed on hold?" Neil questioned him.

"Yeah, I wanted to tell her myself, but I don't have time to wait around. There are a few things we have to look into. Also, tell her not to run away or get to frivolous in her new freedom. It's just temporary as of now," Jay explained to him. He saw Neil's face contort in confusion and he decided not to say anymore.

"Are you threatening her?" Neil had to ask. As shady as the guy looked, he didn't look dangerous, but looks were always deceiving. He knew something, or someone, was bothering Rio. She wanted to keep it to herself, but obviously everything was boiling to a head. The smirked from Jay dropped solemnly. He rubbed the back of his neck as if he didn't know what to say or how to word it.

"In a way…yeah. I'm putting my ass on the line for her and her cousin. My old lady is already pissed at me for getting too involved, but I'm a fair guy. It can't be helped," Jay ranted. He looked like he was going to continue, but realized where he was. "Just tell her, okay? And, don't give me that macho BS," He relented when it looked like Neil wanted to clock him or at least, give him some very nasty words. "Rio's been doing okay since before you came along. This won't kill her."

Jay told him. Tsking before he turned to walk in the other direction, leaving Neil twice as confused as ever. Fists clamping, he scowled and stormed back into town. He brushed right past Jay, not caring if he winged him or not. He just wanted to find Rio.

He tried Clement's restaurant first, since it was just past lunch time. Rio did all her work in the morning. That included taking care of her animals, working on her farm and working on the town. When she was finished, Rio's favorite place to stop was Clement's before returning home to take a break which was when he was trying to catch her. If she wasn't at Clement's now, she would be most likely with Yuri and Iroha since it was Yuri's day off and Michelle was working. They would hang out until Tina came back from the city. Then, Rio would normally come bug him as he was closing up shop. It was a normal Monday for her.

Though, if anyone asked, he would swear he didn't know her schedule by heart. It would mean he was actually listening when she spouted out what she did that day; despite, Neil consistently telling her he didn't care. It almost made him turn around and leave Clement's to go back home. He had given himself the day off and he could leave to enjoy it without being pestered by Rio. He struggled with the decision, but in the end, he pushed the door open to the restaurant. The tiny bell at the top jingled as he made his way in. Felicity was the first to greet him as always.

"Hey, what can I get you today?" She smiled brightly at him, customer service being one of her fortes.

"Nothing today," He answered while he scoped the restaurant in the hopes of catching Rio stuffing her face. He was disappointed to see she was not there. "Have you seen Rio?" He asked Felicity who's smiled brightened an extra watt.

"Oh, are you two going to make up? That's so sweet," She gushed. She looked over his disheveled appearance and clutched her serving tray to her chest. "The hero running off to meet the heroine."

"It's not like that," Neil grumbled to himself, embarrassment sweeping over him in huge waves.

"You are?" Neil and Felicity jerked when Michelle popped out a thin furry of smoke. "Are you sure that's what you want to do? Maybe you just be friends."

"Stop that, you just want your couple to win," Felicity scolded Michelle, who turned as pink as her outfit at being caught.

"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying," Michelle shrugged. Neil stood dumbly as he heard the girls get into a harmless argument about him and Rio. He heard them say things about him and being paired up with other guys and girls, respectively. A few of the pairing making him very uncomfortable at hearing; especially when unknown terms like "OTP", "yaoi", and "fan art" starting coming into the conversation. Neil was sure he was red from the tip of his hair to the tips of his toes.

"Look, did she come in here or not?" Neil nearly yelled to get them to notice he was here. They turned to him before snickering something to each other. Finally, Felicity straightened herself up and spoke to him.

"Yeah, she did, but that was a while back. She ordered a lot of snacks to take for herself. She said she was heading up to the mountains," Felicity gasped, holding her serving tray tighter. "You don't think she's going on a date, do you? Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said something, but then again, I'm shipping you two right now and I don't want Michelle to win." She shot a glance to Michelle.

"You can ship them for now, but I'm telling you, you're on the wrong team," Michelle said in temporary defeat.

"I'll convert you sooner or later," Felicity vowed to the pinkette.

"Shipping?" Neil didn't know what that word meant, but he knew it wasn't any good when he saw how flustered Felicity had become.

"Don't worry about it! Just know, I'm rooting for you," She grinned, a nervous laugh escaping her throat. "Shouldn't you be looking for Rio?"

"Right…" Neil said cautiously as he took a step back out the restaurant to go see Rio, feeling like he would never understand any of the women in his town.


	15. Festival Days Extra: Two

**[A/N]:** Just an extra, I should have another chapter up, either tomorrow or the next day. xD;; I'm happy everybody enjoyed the shipping in Harvest Moon.

**_Dedications_**

Kaia-Scythe, Anonymousgirl88, Misuno, AnimeObsessed98, lilyvioletheart, AquaticSilver, lilyvioletheart, and Omega VI

Thank you for reviews, favorites, and follows!

**I deeply appreciate it~!**

* * *

**_Critter Catching Festival_**

"Target in sight," Rio crouched low into the field of wildflowers, careful not to directly crush any of them. It was a lovely summer day. The sky was a clear, light blue and the sun was bright without being scalding hot. There was a gentle breeze that would roll over Rio every now and again. The perfect day to hunt for bugs, or critters like the folks in these parts would say.

Rio had been stalking a brown, large, winged creature. It was resting in the grass, taking flight to move only a few inches at a time. Rio suspected it was eating whatever bugs like that ate.

"Probably other bugs," She thought to herself. When she felt like she was close enough, she swung her small net and swooped the insect up. It buzzed angrily at being caught in the net, but Rio couldn't let it go yet. She wanted to win the contest. Whoever caught the most bugs would take the crown and she thought she was doing pretty well.

"Let's see: you are a kah-, keh-, kay…kaempfer cicada," Rio badly pronounced, and most likely classified, the little bug's name as she flipped through the book of insects she had. Feeling that she named it right, she wrote the name on a small container and shimmied the cicada inside and stored it inside her rucksack. "Now to find you some friends."

She walked up a hill and crouched low again when she saw a leafy, dark green bush. It was of hefty size and looked like it could house plenty of critters. She duck-walked up to the bush. She pushed apart the branches as carefully as she could to look inside it without scaring any future prey away. She gulped and had just eyed a thick, brownish-yellow bug when she felt something move across her exposed ankle. She looked down to see a silver, black spotted creature move across her foot. Her eyes bugged out and yielded back, letting out a loud shriek. "_Snake!"_ She lost her footing as she stumbled back and rolled down the hill she came up.

"Aah!" She tumbled ungracefully all the way back down, feeling herself crash harshly into another body. The person under her let out a series of curses that would put a sailor to shame.

"Get off me!" The strained voice of Neil said as he shoved Rio off of him, non to gently at that. "No matter where I go you're always causing problems."

"Well, I'm sorry, but there was a snake up there. Okay, I'm not some country bumpkin. I didn't have to worry about snakes in a third story apartment deep in the city," Rio brushed some grass off of her clothes and stood up. Neil's eyes narrowed at her stupidity.

"Yeah, I really feel bad for you now," He scoffed and stood up as well. He looked at the bush on the hill and walked up towards it. Rio saw him dig around in it before marching back the hill, the tiny snake in his hands. Rio took a few steps away from him when he came to stand in front of her.

"Calm down, it's a glass snake," He spoke, walking closer to Rio as she stepped back. Deep inside, he was glad that for once he could tease her.

"Yeah, a snake," Rio confirmed, ready to run screaming back into town.

"Glass snakes aren't real snakes. They're lizards without legs," Neil held the creature up to Rio and she leaned away as it slithered in Neil's fingers.

"It looks like a snake to me. How can you tell the difference?" Rio looked the creature over as she tried to see any indication that this thing was a lizard. To her, lizards had four legs and other distinctive features.

"It can blink," Neil reported as if it were a common fact. Rio took a closer look at the animal and saw its small eyes blink up at her, a tiny tongue coming out to taste the air before going back in. Rio smiled.

"It's actually kind of cute," She pointed her index finger and slowly ran it over the scaled skin.

"Yeah, it is," Neil agreed, turning it in his hand. He felt something poke his cheek and smacked Rio's hand away. "Stop that!"

"Aw, but you're cute too, especially when you smile," Rio grinned teasingly and Neil flushed scarlet. Deeply flustered and feeling awkward, he thrust his hands forward towards Rio, glass snake in tow.

"Here, you want to hold it?" Rio immediately backed up and gulped.

"N-No!" She exclaimed as Neil smirked and walked closer to her. He was enjoying this, thinking of revenge for that cute thing.

"I thought you said it was cute,"

"Doesn't mean I want to hold it! You better stay back Neil!" Rio rushed past him and Neil darted after her. "I mean it!"

Rio hid from Neil all afternoon, not realizing that he stopped chasing her halfway back or that her stumble down the hill had lost her half of her critters. They were already escaping back into the forest. No way was she going to win now, but there was always next year.


	16. Chapter 14

**[A/N]: **Hello everyone! This week Gypsy has a more melodramatic chapter for you. I'm honestly having a love-hate relationship with this chapter. ';.; I can't just be happy with it. Been working on it for days and I couldn't decide how I wanted to execute it or if it was to early to bring everything up. My goal was to give you guys some more info to go on without giving away to much. However, I don't think I'm any good with suspense. Plus, I don't think I accomplished what I wanted. I need to sit down and plan this story out better, but I'm such a go-with-the-flow person when writing. -.-;; I might rewrite the whole thing after it's finished...or not. IDK!

** Mryhh:** xD I am so happy to hear you say that! Things like that will keep me writing, even if it's just one person agreeing.  
I write for myself first, but I like to know that other people are enjoying it~

** Anonymousgirl88:** Yep, snakes can't blink. They have no eyelids. If I remember my zoology class correctly, they have some type of film that protects their eyes instead. Don't quote me on that though. Unless, you're around friends who know less about animals than you do and are too lazy to look up the facts. :3

** AquaticSilver:** I think blushing Neil is the bee's knees as well~!

**Dedications go out to these lovely people above and anyone else who enjoys this story. And, what the heck? I'll add the people who are talking badly about it behind its back. **

**I love you all~! **

**Please continue to review, favorite, or follow!**

* * *

**Family History**

Rio brushed snow from the fallen log. She smacked any excess frost away from her gloved hands before taking a seat. She hadn't expected the snow to come down so suddenly. One day it was still fall and the next day the bitter cold of winter was nipping at her nose. She almost died when she opened her front door; the brisk wind had knocked her back. The only thing she liked about the weather change was how white the snow was. In the city, it only took a few hours before any fresh snow was turned grey and dingy by smog.

"I guess you have to take the good with the bad," She contemplated and stuffed a cookie into her mouth.

"These are really good," Aaron announced as he munched on his own snack. He sat next to Rio, his legs swinging wildly with delight.

"Yeah, not bad, could be better," Alice, sort of, agreed. She didn't really want to acknowledge that Rio had good taste.

"I'm glad you like them. I had to fight through the lunch rush to get them. This one old lady put me in a headlock. I will never underestimate the 'old and fragile' again," Rio rubbed her neck at the memory. "It's still sore. She must be thinking about me."

"Do you always complain this much?" Alice rolled her eyes at Rio's bellyaching. In turn, Rio burned crimson.

"W-well, you're the ones who wanted to know what was going on,"

"We wanted a summary about your problem. We didn't need your whole backstory," Alice nibbled on a cookie, but she didn't hide her look of disdain from Rio.

"We didn't want your backstory," Rio repeated mockingly. Alice stifled a chuckle when Rio didn't have a decent comeback.

"But, I could see why she would. You don't really have anybody to talk to about it right?" Aaron wondered out loud. Rio's looked down at her lap, brushing some snowflakes from her thighs.

"Kind of," She said though pursed lips. "I didn't want to tell anybody because I didn't want them to be involved. I don't want to be pitied by anybody. The people up here are the types to say, 'Here, take this and don't worry about it,' but that would only make me feel worse."

"But, it's okay to bother us and the Harvest Goddess?" Alice prodded at her again.

"I didn't think you were real. I thought I was hallucinating. I only came back up here to thank you all for not letting me get turned into a doll," Rio defended herself. "I wouldn't have come if I didn't think I was welcomed. It's not like I want nor need your help you know."

It was true. She thought she was doing fine on her own. Sure some odd characters were popping up, but it didn't mean she should worry about it. She would just continue with her routine as always; eventually, it would pay off. If she wasted too much time on the small details, she would lose the big picture.

It was the way she lived. It never helped her to think about the small details in between; like how all her friends stopped talking to her or how she never got to go to school like she wanted to. She never worried about the gangsters knocking at her door, threatening her. And, even if her father's death was fishy, what could she do about it now? It's not like she could challenge a whole gang of thugs, let alone ask other people to help her do it. She had decided long ago to let those concerns fade away so she could focus on what was in front of her. She belonged to the Martinos as of now, but once it was over, her life would be her own. As long as she kept working hard, no matter how much it hurt. She could do it…or could she?

Rio flinched at her own thoughts. It was the first time she doubted herself. Rio remembered when she first found out about her father's debt. She was still in high school. Her family was low in income. She would try not to put too much strain on her parents by asking for unnecessary items, but every now and again, she would really desire something. She would go tell her parents. They would look at her with sad eyes and tell her no. It drove Rio up the wall. She had figured they could splurge here or there. She felt like she had keen eyesight on their budget and couldn't understand why they had to live so meagerly all the time. Then, it happened.

The night a group of men in dark suits busted down their front door, the sound had sent pure terror rushing throughout Rio. She could still see her mother crying, _begging_, for them to let her father go. They didn't even look in their direction as they dragged him out. Neighbors poked their heads out to see the commotion, quickly shutting their doors when they realized who these men were. They were not going to risk their lives to help. The police didn't lend a helping hand either. As far as they were concerned, her father was dead. Rio stayed up the whole night crying. It was her only small relief when her father turned up in the hospital a few days later, badly beaten. He was alive, but he walked with a limp after that and Rio finally got a full look into their situation. She vowed to help in any way she could.

Despite her parent's pleas, she got a job. She spent most of her time working rather than studying. Her father wouldn't take her money at first. He didn't want to burden his only child with his mistake which only made it more painful when he got sick. His body started wasting away and he had no choice, but to accept it. The last bits of his pride breaking apart, but Rio didn't care. She was going to do anything to take the strain off of him. That way, he could get healthy again and she didn't have to ever worry about watching him rasp for breath in a hospital bed. Too bad there were other plans for him. He would later be hit by a car, his life successfully ended. It broke Rio's heart and she thought that they would leave her and her family alone so they could mourn in peace. She was wrong again.

The collectors were going after Rio's mother next, but she beat them to it before they could. She promised she would be handling all of her father's business for now on and that they could leave the rest of her family alone completely. They laughed at her, but she insisted. Once Rio saw how much was still owed, she didn't blame them. She was only fresh out of school then and pretty much reined over her life to paying them back. They approached her with illegal jobs at first. Ones that would garner her a bigger payoff, but Rio's moral code would never allow her to participate. She was going to come out her ordeal as unscathed as possible. They laughed again, but Rio held on to her convictions and they eventually left her alone.

She ended up with a few jobs all over town. She worked day in and day out. Her goal was to earn money as fast as possible. The only other thing she did was eat and breathe. That was usually during work as well.

Thinking on it now, she never noticed the cycle she had fell into. It wasn't until she moved here that she felt like she was wasting her life for no reason. That no matter what she did, it might be impossible to truly get away. Tilling around Echo Village was going to be like any other job. Rio was going to work hard and keep to herself. She wasn't going to get distracted. She was going to earn money and leave as soon as she had enough. She wasn't going to give up on her mission. But, that was then.

At this moment in time, Rio was tired and being in Echo Village wasn't helping her. Rio liked it here too much. Back at home, she would keep to herself. She was serious about her work and she never played around. She wanted to leave that childish part of her behind once she understood the position her family was in. It wasn't needed and Rio locked it away. She was content with that; until, a lawyer contacted her. The woman explained about Echo Village and the farmland she had been left. Her first instinct was to sell off the land in the hopes of gaining some quick cash. It was Henry who had stopped her. He explained that she might make more money in the long run in coming out here. She was apprehensive about the idea, but upon further research, it was seen as the best option so Rio set out to the country.

The moment that bus dropped Rio off on the path towards the hills that would take her to Echo Village, she felt revitalized. The small amount of nature that she had been lured into brought out a happier part of Rio that she never thought she would see again and after meeting Dunhill and the others, she didn't want it to recede back inside. She thought she could just blend in. Maybe start building something for when this all blew over; especially when she had found a decent way to pay the Martinos back.

Rio thought she had fought hard to finally receive this blessing. She felt like she had been ignorant. No matter how much she wanted to ignore it, she could smell trouble on the horizon. She just didn't know if she had anything left in her to fight against it. For once in her life, she had no game plan for this.

"Rio, it's going to be okay," Rio almost completely jumped out of her skin when Aaron laid a tiny palm on her clenched fist. Rio hadn't even realized how tense she was. Her whole body felt like a sturdy board. She didn't think she could bend if she wanted to. She willed herself to smile or move or make some gesture to tell the distressed sprites that she was alright. The lie wouldn't past through her mouth though. Her own body didn't want to lie anymore either.

"I didn't mean to make you so upset," Alice apologized to her, the downcast look in her eyes proved genuine. Rio nodded in acceptance, releasing a sigh.

"It's okay. You didn't upset me," She told them truthfully. It was her own fault for putting things off to long; avoiding her feeling in an attempt to make them not exist. If they didn't exist, she didn't have to think about it. She could see the downfall of that plan now. Whenever her feelings did break through and she was forced to confront them, it hurt twice compared to the first time.

"So, you really knew my dad?" Rio changed the topic while she watched Aaron and Alice continue to devour all the sweets she had brought them. They were still watching her with close eyes as if they were waiting for her to break down, but Rio wasn't going to do that. It was the last bit of control she had in her life.

"Knew of him," Alice clarified. "He couldn't see us like you can, him or his brother."

"We thought your family would have been rich by now," Aaron commented.

"Why would you think that? As far as I know, my dad had always been a check to check person. We would barely scrap by," Rio thought back to the tiny apartment that she shared with her parents; sometimes Henry, if his mother and step-father were fighting down the hall. Her parents never had excess cash for obvious reasons. Her father didn't have much of an education from growing up on the farm. He mostly did odd jobs around the town while his mother was a primary school teacher.

"You must not know much about your family history then," Alice sniped in discontent.

"Hey, I know enough," Rio's whined at the accusation. Alice was giving her that "stupid human" look.

"Did you know your family practically helped found this town?" Alice smirked at Rio's stunned silence.

"Yeah, we remember your grandfather when he was a kid. He could see us too!" Aaron entered the conversation.

"Well, I never actually met my grandfather. He died before I was born and my father never wanted to talk about him," Rio stated without remorse. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she never felt like you could grieve over someone you never met; and while she could see the hurt in her father's eyes, she never knew what she could do to take the pain away.

"I guess that makes sense. After the falling out they had," Aaron's cheerful demeanor went sour.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"The land you own is bigger than you think it is or at least it was. That's why we figured you still had a lot of money. I guess we don't exactly know the specifics of it anymore," Aaron told her.

"Yeah, we lost touch with your family after your grandfather. Your father and his brother couldn't see us so we didn't associate with them much," Alice went into further details. "Back when your grandfather was a kid, your family had acres for miles. There were plenty or crops and plenty of animals. I think there was even a mine back then."

"Your Grandpa originally wanted to leave it all to your father, but he wanted to move to the city with your mother. She used to visit during the summer. Your dad was head over heels in love with her and since she didn't like living in the country, your father didn't want to ask her to stay," Aaron finished.

"And, that's when the trouble started!" Alice waved a treat around. "Your grandfather was furious. He thought your dad was turning his back on his family. He pretty much disowned your father and we never saw him after that. It made your grandfather very bitter."

"He didn't even want us around anymore," Aaron answered solemnly.

"He got very ill and he ended up giving the farm to your uncle when he died. I think that's your cousin's father," Rio nodded and Alice continued the story. "Your uncle ran that farm into the ground. Somewhere down the line, he got greedy and he was making all kinds of bad investments. That's when those thugs started showing up, trying to buy the place up. We aren't a 100 percent sure what happened after that. Your uncle and his family just left one day without a word."

"And, then, you came!" Aaron announced happily which brought out a small chuckle from Rio.

"Yeah, I guess I did," She replied, trying to keep herself from frowning. "I never heard about any of that before."

"I guess it's not exactly something you want to tell your kids," Alice shrugged.

"I guess," Rio somewhat agreed with her. She had so many more questions she wanted to ask them, but she assumed they wouldn't have any answers. They had only told her what they barely knew about what happened so long ago and she didn't have many others to go too. Her father and grandfather were both dead. Rio didn't have a clue as to where her uncle could be. He had long disappeared out of her life. Rio still remembered the day Henry's mother came to their apartment, bawling her eyes out over his abandonment. Henry and Rio were barely in the first grade and didn't have a clue about what was going on.

That left her mother and her aunt. Her aunt lived miles away now and would be too prideful to admit her ex-husband's faults. She had waited months before coming to her family for financial help after her husband left. There was no way she would talk to Rio. Then, her own mother wasn't exactly in her right mind as a late. She wasn't crazy or anything. She just seemed so broken after her father died. She would smile, but there would be no warmth. She just went through her normal routines, only quivering when parts of the routine that involved her late husband appeared before her.

Rio definitely didn't want to bring up any family history around her. Rio was already lying to her about what was really going on with her life. At this point, Rio's mother thought that she returned to the farm because she wanted to experience something new. If she figured out why Rio needed to know about her uncle and father, she just might shatter. So, who did that leave?

"Dunhill,"

"What?" Rio snapped out of her brain storming and looked at Alice who was resting on her bent knee. She was sitting cross-legged and staring dully at Rio.

"Ask Dunhill, he knew your father. He might know more. He has been here all his life," She shrugged.

"I think I'll try that," Rio told her before their conversation fell into more mundane topics. Rio was starting to feel a little better watching the siblings bicker back in forth.

"You two remind me of my cousin and me," Rio laughed. She was too caught up in the argument that she didn't hear the sounds of shifting snow as somebody came closer.

"Who were you talking to?" Rio wheeled around to see a very agitated Neil staring her down.

Neil looked around the surrounding area. He saw no one, but he was sure he heard Rio speaking to someone. Her cheeks had turned a pale pink and her mouth was agape as if the words wouldn't come out. For a minute, Neil thought he really might have interrupted a date or something. There was more than enough food for two people and Rio was in disarray as she glanced from left to right, still not answering his question.

"N-no one," Rio stuttered, her cheeks turned from a delicate pink to a cherry red.

Rio was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Obviously, Neil couldn't see Aaron and Alice, but the two were driving her insane. She couldn't tell them to shut up without him thinking she was a nut job.

"Oh so that's Neil. I always wondered what his name was," Alice spoke on Rio's right before she gave a genuine smile for the first time. "He's comes up here to make offerings every now and then; always worried about his animals. I can tell he's a good guy," She leaned in closer. "You two are all alone. Are you gonna make a move?"

"I thought they were already together. A few girls came up here yesterday and were talking like you were," Aaron was to her left. Rio wanted to smack herself in the forehead. This was the only downfall to small towns. Everybody knew everybody and everybody knew everybody's business. She thought if there was one place she could escape gossip, it would be with the sprites. She was obviously wrong. By the time she had answered Neil, they were making kissy sounds in both of her ears, making blood rush to her head.

"D-did you need something?" She asked uncomfortably, trying to keep herself from twisting in place. She had not spoken to Neil in days. She couldn't run from him, but she didn't like being front and center with him. Also, the sprites constant badgering wasn't making anything less embarrassing.

Neil coughed before speaking, "Only if I'm not interrupting anything." Neil stole another glance at the set-up and Rio shook her head.

"No, not really. I was just…just relaxing. I needed a moment out of town. Everybody has been extra weird, but…you're not bothering me or anything like that," She replied awkwardly, ignoring the _ooh-la-la's_ coming from the sprites.

"Tell me about it…" Neil grumbled when she mentioned the strange townspeople, but was thoroughly relieved when she wasn't on a date. However, it wore off as tried to figure out where to start. At first, he wanted to apologize. Say he was sorry for getting into her business, but with the appearance of Jay, all he wanted to do was yell at her and make her tell him what was going on. Normally, he wouldn't care what went own in other people's lives. He kept to himself and didn't get too involved, which would probably explain why he was so concerned now.

"Jay came by," He bit the bullet and told her without much reaction. He was more interested in hers.

"He did? Where is he now? Is Henry with him?" Rio's questions spilled out of mouth like an open floodgate. She went to the ground, packing up everything is site; trying to shove it into her rucksack as fast she could.

"Stay out of it," He heard Rio grumble to her right. She had finished packing everything up, but grabbed her rucksack from the wrong end which sent all the contents crashing to the ground. Neil specifically noticed the frayed notebook that had lost of few of the Post-Its that were hidden in it. "Dammit!" She cursed in the snow, moving to gather everything up again as quickly as she could. Neil was about to kneel and help her when she stopped him. "I got it! Don't worry about it. You still didn't answer any of my questions."

Her eyes darted from the ground to him in the hopes that he would answer some of her questions. "Well?" She asked frantically. Neil crouched down and Rio glanced away from him as she shoved her notebook back into her rucksack and clasped it. His firm hands landed on her trembling. Rio finally stopped and gave her full attention to him. Her eyes went wide and she swallowed like she made a grave mistake. She was losing her cool and he was witnessing it.

"He's already long gone," Neil spoke evenly. He hoped that if he kept calm than Rio would calm down as well. It was a technique that worked on animals. He knew Rio was fully human, but it was the only thing he could think of at the moment. It worked. Rio sat back on the balls of her feet. She was still tense, though less frenzied than before.

"Oh, that's too bad," She whispered. She took her hands out of Neil's and placed them in her lap. Neil felt empty at the loss of contact. He shook it off immediately.

"He wanted me to tell you something," He started, catching attention again. "He said to hold off on the payments for now. They're investigating an issue," Rio started shaking at the news. He could see it in her eyes. The way her mind was racing through all the possibilities of what it all meant. He disliked seeing her like this. When she got stuck in her own head and everything on the outside didn't matter. Neil frowned wanting to snap her out of it. There were a million ways he could do that, but only one of them seemed right. It caught both him and Rio off guard.

Neil hugged Rio.

His arms wrapped around her quivering shoulders and he pulled her to his chest. He nuzzled his head into her hair, noticing the scent of fresh wildflowers. Rio's right hand had gripped his sleeve and the other had tightened on his jacket, just above his waist. It wasn't a complete return of his embrace. She merely let him hold her. With her face pressed so close to him, he knew she could hear the rapid thrumming of his heart. It was pounding so loudly he thought he might have a heart attack. It must have made her feel better because he felt her go slack in his arms.

"N-Neil…?" Rio sniffled.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you the other day," Neil started carefully. "What's going on is none of my business…but…but, I'm here for you. Whenever you need it, no matter how bad it gets; even if you push me away."

Rio didn't respond instantly. Neil felt a tremor rack Rio's frame. She let out a shaky breath and nodded.

"Thank you."


	17. Chapter 15

**[A/N]:** -.-;; Definitely not one of my favorites chapters. I actually have about three versions of it because I couldn't figure out what to add or wanted to flow. I just been trying not to hold off on posting because school is starting in about two week and I would like to get somewhere with this story. I am happy that everyone enjoyed the last chapter so much. It was the most response I ever got so I feel bad that this one is kind of blah. xD Please enjoy it anyway! It really is just one of those chapters that moves the story alone. Hopefully, the next one will be more enticing. I know what I want to happen. I just don't know how I want to play it out. So, I have been trying to outline this story more. Enjoy! :)

**_Dedications _**

Mryhh, Carnivorous Watermelon, Writingnerd291, Kizumii, Lucy Kay, Anonymousgirl88, AnimeObsessed98, AquaticSilver, dolphinz411, Choco-Mousse, , RosePetal-Luminescence-Mel-Bel,

Thank you for reviews, favorites, and follows. I deeply appreciate it more than you know!

**Answers to reviews at the bottom. **

* * *

**_Surprises_**

Rio felt strangely better after that incident, as she called it, in the forest the other day. She guessed all those talk shows were right about letting go and what not; though, it was not something she would do every day and she still didn't tell Neil everything. She didn't think she was ready for that, if ever, but it was a start in her book.

Speaking of books, she stared at her ruddy notebook in apprehension. The budget for this week was blinding her like a beacon at sea. She had surplus funds. It was such a shock that she didn't know how to react. Granted, she would never run out and spend the money like a fool. It would be her luck that Jay would come right back demanding everything up front and she would be caught with her pants down. Not to mention how hard it was to grow anything in this frost. She had some flowers and herbs out there, but they weren't worth much. No, she wasn't going to buy anything. She just liked to look at it.

"I wonder what the hell Henry did," Rio pondered to herself. She had tried to contact Jay with no luck and she never knew how to reach Henry when he went off on his own. The older the brunette got the more of a drifter he became. She twirled a pen in her fingers, not liking the anxiety she was feeling.

Henry could always take care of himself, but this was different. He was dealing with people that could make him disappear and no one would do anything about. Rio didn't think she could have another person wiped out of her life by the Martinos. She didn't think her heart could take it.

"Quit thinking about it, stupid! He's fine," She reminded herself for the fifth time that morning. Closing her book, she heard a knocking at her door. They didn't come barging right in, considering Rio had installed a lock. She wasn't putting up with that type of hospitality anymore. She stood from her table and walked over to the door. Opening it, her eyes narrowed before slamming it shut. She had only caught a glimpse of an overly tan, bald head and it was all she needed.

"Now, now, don't be that way," Thredson chuckled from the other side of the door. "I'm only here to talk."

"Yeah, that seems like a reoccurring thing with you," Rio jeered. In a way, she wished Betsy and Cherry were out there. They could usually run this guy away, but Rio had dropped them off with Neil so they could go to the animal sanctuary. It was supposed to be a mini-getaway for them. Somehow, Thredson must have known that.

"Believe me, there are worse thing I could do," Rio heard the subtle threat in his voice. "I think I've given you more than enough time to answer about my offer." He told her.

Rio reached into her pocket and glowered at the piece of paper in her hands. She started to rip the devil's contract into tiny pieces; as small as she could get them. She opened the door again and held the pieces in her palms. She took a hardy breath of air and blew the pieces back into Thredson's smirking mug.

"There's your answer," She announced haughtily. She saw the corners of Thredson's mouth drop as he smoothly swiped the bits of paper off himself.

"I see you and your father have the same sense of humor," He mentioned which made Rio burn with fury. She tried not to let it show. She had learned that a long time ago when dealing with people like this. You couldn't let them see where they had wounded you. They didn't play fair and wouldn't give you any handicaps when you were going up against them.

"Hmph, I bet," Rio bluffed against him. She had no idea what Thredson was talking about, but he didn't have to know that. "But, where he failed, I will succeed." Rio explained to him without really being sure of what she would succeed at. She couldn't stand to call her dad a failure. It just felt needed. The only thing she did know was that Thredson had been around this town before, her dad had somehow got rights to this farm, and that it was killing Thredson on the inside.

Rio had thought long and hard on those facts. Thredson knew she had a bone to pick with the Martinos. He had to or at least, he knew she was in some kind of trouble. Why else would he offer Rio so much money for a rinky-tink farm in the middle of nowhere? The man obviously thought Rio was so desperate that she would just take the money and run away. He must have not known that blonde was just a hair color and while Rio had her moments, she was far from dumb.

Stoic, Rio didn't bat an eyelash when Thredson chuckled at her resolve. She had been laughed at before and it was by much more threatening men than Thredson. She kept her pose relaxed, but alert, mind ready to counter anything this bastard had to say.

"So, that's your plan? Take the land back and restore the town," Thredson mocked her, not knowing he was playing more into her hands than vice versa. If it was one thing Rio learned from watching super hero movies, it was that the villain loved to hear him or herself talk. Give them the right push and they would sing like a canary.

"Let me tell you something, I don't have to have your farm yet. I got enough money to literally pick this land up from under you and the rest of your merry band of country hillbillies," Thredson sneered, any fake kindness he had slipping away. "You're looking up to your father; you should be more like your uncle. He knew what he was doing. Don't think just because you're a woman doesn't mean you can't end up buried as well." Rio tensed that time, hoping Thredson didn't notice. She didn't like when he said 'as well', especially while mentioning her father. Her eyes narrowed on Thredson, who relaxed and gave a bitter smile. "Child, I suggest you learn how to pick your battles. Happy endings are rare nowadays." Was the last bit of advice he gave her before slinking back off into the snow.

Rio clutched the other side of her door, wanting to slam it with all the strength she had. Instead, she closed it softly and rested her forehead against it as she locked it back. She had forgotten how much energy it took to fight against tigers. You would knock them back, but they would land on their feet and continue with the attack; always trying to get at your throat. She needed to come up with a plan for her next strike. The issue was forming a plan when there were still so many pitfalls surrounding her. She was at a complete standstill until she had more information. It was too much.

Rio shook her head and sighed. She didn't need this right now. She had other things to focus on. Thredson was threatening to tear the town down when she still more places to put up.

At the last Town Revitalization Committee meeting, she had been giving some more blueprints from Rebecca. Her latest project was a mini palace. Rio's eyes had bugged out when she saw it, but Rebecca assured her it was a serious task. A special order she had called it. Rio didn't know how she felt about special orders. She tried not to scorn the rich for having what they had, but when she saw this place, all she wanted to do was call the lucky bastard and tell him or her to shove it. After all, most of this was coming out her pocket. She went along with it though because it had been explained that having more people like this particular person might do the town some good.

"Yeah, yeah, everything for the sake of the town," She sighed, looking at her watch. She still had a little time to burn before going to pick up Betsy and Cherry. She could always go skulking around town she figured. It was better than sitting in the house all day, worried about every little thing that was happening to her. She would go visit the sprites again, but they were supposed to be helping the Harvest Goddess elsewhere. The Harvest Goddess was a busy woman apparently. Every time Rio turned around, she would be gone to go help save another town from utter devastation. As of now, Echo Village was looking pretty nice.

Rio got to town and noticed something a little different. It wasn't uncommon for the town to have decorations for the seasons. It helped the thriving tourism, but Rio felt like she was missing something. There were a mix of heart and stars all over the place. She saw signs advertising chocolate confectionary with happy couples on them. She saw Hana putting up an ad in front of the general store and decided to approach the old woman.

"Hey, what's going on?" Rio asked her. Hana gave her a kind smile, the heartwarming kind that only your grandmother could give you.

"Rio, I always forget you haven't been here that long. Seems like you been here forever," She mentioned before directing Rio to the sign. "Around here, winter can be the real time of love if you do it right. We have a lot of traditions for coming together."

"Hook them on Harmony Day and reel them in at the Starry Nighty Festival," Rio read out loud. The rest of it was for a sale on chocolate products. Rio had heard of Harmony day. It was the day girls gave chocolate to boys since they did the same in the spring, but she was at a loss to the other festival.

"Do you like it? My husband came up with it," Hana was talking about Kosaboro. He was a great fisherman. Rio thought they were an odd pair, but also, thought it was cute how they still seem to meld together. She had never been around a couple that had gone the distance for so long.

"Yeah, I can see a lot of him in it," She referenced to the fishing terms. "But, what exactly is the Starry Night Festival?"

"Oh Rio, it's beautiful. The stars are at their brightest as they shoot across the sky. There no other place in the world that can give you such a romantic view. It's a great time to confess love or just renew an old one," Hana described the scene with honest intent. If Rio was just another customer, she wouldn't think Hana was just trying to sale her on the event. She could imagine it with just the serenity in her voice.

"Is that how you and your husband got together?" Rio asked her and saw Hana practically glow at the memory. "Neh, it must be nice to find love like that."

Rio couldn't remember the last time she went on a date. She had flirted with plenty of guys on the other hand. However, that was usually for bigger tips when she was waitressing. It was never genuine. It was basically her resaying memorized phrases. The trick then was not to say the same thing to the same guy twice.

It wasn't a problem though, since most of the guys just wanted a pretty girl to show them the time of the day. Sometimes a "sugar daddy" would pop in and swear he could take Rio away from her diner job and show her the world. Rio would only laugh, like she would ever date a guy who could be her father; no matter how serious the proposal. Every now and then, she would get a guy who was truly interested in her, but her work schedule was too busy for her to invest time in a relationship. She, also, didn't like planning a future with someone when she wasn't even sure what the next step would be when it came to her situation. It was like when a person got married and their spouse's bad credit could bring their own credit down. Rio was sure nobody would want her after seeing her "credit".

"I'm sure you will have plenty of time dear," Hana reassured her. "The secret is looking closer than you expect. My husband was my best friend before anything. I learned it doesn't last long if you fall too fast."

"I'll keep that mind," Rio lied. The advice was nice, but she wasn't looking for love. It was good for other people, but it wasn't on Rio's radar at the moment. She bid Hana ado and continued on her folic through town. She had taken more than one chocolate sample before Felicity ran her away, dodged Allen's barrage of flirts as she grab a half-off coupon, and got into a snow ball fight with Toni and Niko.

"Never again," Rio grumbled as she sipped the last of her cocoa from the paper cup. She placed it in the trash and walked up to the plaza which was turning into a shopping center that was only behind the bizarre in Zephyr Town. Dunhill would rent out space around festival times for a little extra income. It was a nice touch. There was always interesting stuff from a lot of family owned places or fun gaming booths, but Rio never had any money to spend on them. She only came up here to visit her two favorite blond animal handlers. It was time for them to close up shop and Rio had to pick up Betsy and Cherry.

Neil and Rod seemed to be having some kind of conversation. By now, they had grown on each other; especially, since they both loved animals. Neil always seemed more easy-going when talking to Rod which made her question why he was constantly annoyed with her. His immediate answer, "You purposely get on my nerves," and Rio had to relent to that; though, she swore she didn't do anything on purpose...50 % of the time.

"I didn't know you two hung out together so much," Rio commented as she approached them.

"We work near each other. It's only inevitable," Neil muttered at Rio's statement. He didn't see why she felt the need to point it out. "He's always hanging around."

"Don't worry, I'm sure those words to describe the start of our friendship too," Rio whispered to Rod; though, he didn't seemed fazed by Neil's comment. He, like Rio, had learned to let Neil's words go in one ear and out the other. Neil rolled his eyes when he saw them whispering to each other. It was the universal sign that they were talking about him and that the next words coming out of their mouths were going to be something that would agitate him. Those two were okay separate, but together it pure torture.

"Why didn't you tell me you birthday was coming up?" And, there it was; the whine of Rio over exaggerating something.

"It's not important. It's just like any other day," He paused when he saw Rio's brow knit together.

"But, you told Rod. I thought we were BFFs first," Rio's lips pursed together in a pout. Neil was happy to see her back to normal since the other day, but was regretting the feeling when her dramatic side reemerged. "I mean was…was I the only one who felt that way?" She joked.

"Yeah, it's been a secret affair for months now. We didn't know how to tell you," Rod joined in on the Rio show.

"Neil, how could you?!" Rio gasped; her hand went to her forehead as if she might faint. There was a few people who stopped and watched as made a show of catching Rio and comforting her. Neil could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as the crowd gawked. Luckily, it only to one look for him to make them disperse.

"Are you supposed to be making a point?" Neil shot a glare that made the two nimrods stop laughing.

"Not really," Rio shrugged. "Are you planning anything or do you want anything special?'

"No," He didn't even think before answering. Then, he could see the gears cranking in Rio's head. "Don't think about throwing me a party or anything either," He finished.

"Pssh, like I'd throw you a party! I haven't had a birthday party in like 12 years. You think I would throw one for somebody else and let them have all the fun?" Rio hopped up on his counter to take a seat, but he briskly knocked her off. She made a show of being hurt that made Neil rolled his eyes again.

"Good," Neil told her.

"Unless, he secretly wants you to throw him a party," Rod gave his input from the other side. Neil wanted to walk over and smack the guy in the head when he saw the light bulb chime to life above Rio's head.

"Is that it Neil? Are you using reverse psychology?" Rio hummed in amusement. "I can indulge you if you want."

"No," Neil answered as firmly as he could, but he could see Rio wasn't going to take him seriously. "I mean it Rio."

"Okay, okay," Rio didn't speak for a moment. "…So, do you have a specific color scheme you prefer?"

"Ugh! Don't you need to pick up Besty and Cherry?" Neil asked her and her mind switched from parties to animals.

"Oh, yeah, I have a surprise for them later," She grinned. Neil was just glad he got her off of parties.

* * *

"There, how does that fit?" Yuri arranged the wool hat on Betsy's head. It was crocheted with blue and black horizontal stripes going into a long tail that had a black puffball at the end. The hat had a matching scarf that was wrapped snuggly around Betsy's neck. Betsy mooed contently and that made Yuri smile. She moved over to Cherry. Cherry had the same attire as Betsy, except her hat and scarf was black and red instead. She was practically strutting around the barn in her new outfit.

"Rio, I'm finished," Yuri went over to Rio, who was dressed in her own purple and black winter attire. She was sitting on a barrel, her feet swaying lightly. She was concentrating very hard on the craft in her hands. The crotchet needle moved up and down as she pulled the yarn through the various holes. Rio sneered in frustration at the crooked black "scarf" she had created.

"I just can't get it to stay straight. It's looks horrible," Rio complained as she showed her work to her teacher.

"Uh…well…" Yuri went silent. It did look horrible, even for a beginner, but she didn't want to tell her friend that.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything," Rio told Yuri as she looked at Betsy and Cherry showing off their ensembles. "You did a great job on their clothes. I know it's silly, but I can't help but feel like their freezing out here."

"Thank you," Yuri smiled, happy that she didn't have to tell Rio she sucked at crocheting. She watched Rio try again. "Are you sure you don't want me to?"

Rio sighed at the pitiful scarf again.

"I'm sure. It's not much of a gift if I don't do it myself," She stated. "But, then again, it's not like he's going to wear it anyway. He'll probably think I'm an idiot for even trying and as soon as I show him this," Rio held the scarf up. "He'll slam the door in my face again."

"It's the thought that counts," Yuri tried to reassure her, but Rio didn't look convinced.

"Yeah, that's why everybody wants a receipt so they can get a store credit," Rio responded and Yuri smiled.

"Which is why the best gifts come from the heart and not the store," Yuri patted her shoulder. "Plus, a little practice goes a long way. Just keep trying."

"Thanks, I'll remember that," Rio smiled. It gave her a little hope as she said goodbye to Yuri. She went back to crocheting, fumbling around with the needle and yarn. She could build houses and yet, she couldn't even manage to make an even row with a metal stick and yarn. "I should just let Yuri do it and take credit for it," She looked at her scarf again. "Yeah, that's a great plan…nah, I couldn't do that."

Rio pouted and propped her chin on her open palms, her elbows resting on her knees. Neil's birthday was coming up soon and she was still trying to think of what to get him. The only guys she ever shopped for was Henry and her dad. She always gave Henry socks and her dad liked tools or a homemade cake. The tools had worked for Iroha's birthday days ago. However, Rio didn't think Neil would want anything like that. Not that she thought he wanted a scarf and hat set. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. A nice little set to keep him warm while he was running his shop. It wasn't until she started her project that she realized how dumb it was. Time was currently running out and that was all she had.

She wanted to give him something he would like or could use. She felt like she owed him a lot. He had been a big help to her. He didn't question her or try to jump in to save her or abandon her. He just wanted to be there if she needed him which she appreciated dearly. It meant he trusted her to run things her way. Rio didn't know if she would ever tell him what was truly going on. At this point, she didn't even know what was going on. The other day, she passed that Thredson guy. He was walking out of the hair salon. She caught Allen slamming the door after he left and when her eyes met Thredson's, he gave her a crooked smile. It gave Rio the hee-bee-gee-bees.

Rio cursed when she saw she had tangled the scarf up. She cut the yarn string and tossed the craft onto the pile with the other botched attempts. She felt someone nudge her. Hopping off the barrel, she took a gander at her two barnyard pals. Cherry was perched atop Betsy's head.

"Well, at least, you two will be looking good this season," She grinned. "So, what do you think I should get him?"

Cherry wasn't sure, but Betsy was full of ideas.

"A-a romantic weekend for two?" Rio both scowled and blushed. "W-why would he and I do something like that?"

Betsy mooed a "Not you."

"And, who would he go with?" Rio crossed her arms and huffed, daring Betsy to mention another woman. She nearly keeled over when Betsy answered her.

"For you and him? You realize how creepy you are, right?"

Betsy shrugged it off. Cherry clucked.

"I know. She worries me too," Rio agreed. "I think I'll just figure something else out later."

* * *

** AnimeObsessed98:** D: Don't die, live! x) Glad you liked it!

** AquaticSilver:** :3 Happy you're still enjoying and hanging in there with me! lol I love the sprites too.

** Lucy Kay:** It's okay. I understand. I don't go nuts if I don't get reviews or anything. Yeah, she's still holding back. You'd think Neil would be the one in that position, neh? . And, I don't think I have anything that violent planned. I usually don't like to kill off people on the "good team". Unless, it's specifically requested.

** Anonymousgirl88:** IKR? It's been like year. Somebody should make the first move already. If only our heroes weren't so ignorant when it comes to each other. x3 I'll have to throw in a little more romance soon. You can already, kinda see the foreshadowing.

** Kizumii:** x.x The first time anybody has referred to anything I have written as a masterpiece. x3 It's got me all a flustered.

** Writingnerd291:** I'm going to try and get as much done as possible because school is brimming around the corner.

** Carnivorous Watermelon:** So pleased I could catch your attention! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. x)

** Mryhh:** Thank you~! *Bows*


	18. Chapter 16

**[A/N]: **Hello everyone! I got a new chapter for you. I hope you like it. Also, how many people know what a "Birthday Lick" is? It's not as perverted as it sounds. Some people might even call it a "Birthday Hit". Basically, it's when your friends and family wail on you all day. They hit you the total of amount of years you are + one more for good luck. So, if you're turning 16, they could hit you 17 times as hard as they want. It's not as horrific as it sounds if your friends and family aren't abusive pricks and you can always get them back on their B-day. I only ask because I've always wondered how many regions actually does that or

_**Dedications**_

Writingnerd29, Mryhh, Anonymousgirl88, TheBlackDevil, and Ginkgoyi,

**Thank you for reviews, favorites, and follows. I really appreciate it! :3**

** Anonymousgirl88:** I'm not sure. I never thought about a birthday for her. ^^;;

* * *

**_Birthday Surprises _**

Neil was sleeping soundly in bed when he had a thin sense of movement around him. He thought maybe he was being paranoid, but when he felt the weight of someone sitting on his bed, he opened his eyes. He caught of glimpse of blonde hair and blue eyes. Rio smiled brightly at him. He swore he was dreaming when dream Rio reached out and flicked his nose. Growling in irritation, he glared at the young woman grinning at him.

"Rio, what are you doing?" He nearly shouted, causing Rio to lean away from him. Neil sat up and looked at the clock. "It's 12 AM in the morning!"

"I know! It's officially time to celebrate your coming into the world. Well, not really. I don't know the exact time you were born, but it's officially the day of your birth so it's close enough," Rio observed.

"Get out," was Neil's only answered as he readied himself to go back to bed.

"But, I got you presents," Rio shook him to wake him up again. Neil only opened one eye and stared her down.

"I told you I didn't want anything," He groaned.

"That doesn't mean I didn't get you anything," Rio insisted.

"Fine, what is it?" Neil sighed to himself. He should have just told her he wanted the grandest party in the world and then, she might have left alone. However, part of him felt like reverse psychology would only encourage Rio more. He was in a lose-lose situation no matter what he did.

"Dum-Da-Da-DAA!" Rio mimicked the Harvest Goddess and pulled out a booklet made of construction paper of various colors. It looked like it had been colored on with crayons and was held together with a thin red bow in the left corner. "It's a coupon book,"

Neil sat deadpanned. "It's also the cheap man's gift,"

"Neh, you say you don't want a gift and then complain about the one you do get," Rio huffed as Neil took the coupon book out her hands, flipping through it.

"And, there are only three coupons in here."

"Well, I'm not that creative so instead of anything specific," She grabbed the coupon book and held it in her hands like a plaque. "You get three wishes as long as they're legal and some other terms and conditions apply so read the fine print before redeeming them in."

"Gee, thanks, I can't hold back my excitement," Neil said, looking anything but.

"I do have this too if it impresses you more," Rio held up a long, black piece of cloth made of yarn. It looked tangled and bunched from beginning to end. "It's a scarf. You can wear it when you're working."

Neil stared blankly at what Rio had called a scarf and grunted, "Get out."

"I knew you were going to do that! It's the last time I listen to Yuri," Rio pouted while she mumbled under her breath. She crossed her arms against her chest. "I have you know this scarf has character or do you only see looks Neil?"

"That's exactly the case, now get out," He replied, hiking a finger to the door. Rio looked down sadly and ran her fingers over the scarf. She picked up her coupon book and set it in her lap.

"I really wanted you to like it. I'm sorry it couldn't be better," She said honestly. "I couldn't think of what to give you and what I could think of was too expensive to get."

Rio stood up and started to walk back to the door. She moved in slow steps that echoed off the floor in the dark. Her shoulders were hunched over in utter defeat. Neil felt his eye twitch in annoyance at her somber trek to his front door.

"Wait," He cursed at the chest pain was experiencing from Rio's guilt trip. "I'll take the coupon book, but there is no way I'm wearing the scarf," He relented.

Rio chuckled and came to sit back down on the bed. "Don't worry I wouldn't make you. I just wanted you to see how hard I worked for you."

"Not hard enough obviously," He tucked the coupon book away for safe keeping; even though, he doubted he would use them. Well, maybe he would if it was a wish for her to leave him alone for a day.

"That's it," Rio wagged a finger. "You just earned yourself a matching sweater and gloves."

"I'm shaking now," He rolled his eyes, a light smirk playing on his lips.

"Just keep it up; I can make shirts and pants too. Yuri's showing me how to sew," Rio threatened him again.

"Then, she's a braver person than me," He chuckled and Rio smiled again.

"Alright already, you just used up your number of insults for the day. You're just lucky I retired from giving birthday licks,"

"Birthday what?" Neil flushed at the statement, wondering what she was talking about. Rio snickered at his bewilderment.

"It's not what you think. It's when you hit a person, however hard you want, the same number of years they've been walking the earth. Oh, and one more extra hard one for good luck," Rio mimicked a boxer, punching at the air. She looked at a red faced Neil. "What did you think I was talking about?"

"Nothing," He huffed and Rio smirked.

"You have a dirty mind my friend,"

"I do not. Anybody can misinterpret that," He claimed before a thought crossed his mind. "Which reminds me, did anybody see you come in here?"

"No, I don't think so. Why?" Rio tilted her head in confusion.

"Because…people already talk about us like we're a couple. The last thing they need to see is you sneaking out my house in the middle of the night," Neil explained and Rio put two and two together.

"I didn't think about that," She looked thoughtful for a minute. "I guess this would seem less than innocent, huh?"

"You think?" Neil wanted to say duh.

"It's kind of annoying. They act like a guy and a girl can't just be friends," Rio sighed.

"Yeah, it's not impossible," Neil agreed with her, but despite this little agreement, they were both too embarrassed to look the other one directly in the eye. Rio patted her knees nervously with both hands.

"I mean could you date me?" She asked out the blue. Neil shook his head, trying to will the heat flaming on his cheeks down.

"No, you give me a headache,"

"And, you're kind of a jerk,"

They both nodded in agreement and Rio nibbled her lower lip before speaking again.

"But, stranger things have happened. I mean you can't really help who you like; whether or not you think you match," Rio suggested. She didn't really know where she was going at the moment. There had been a small sting at Neil's quick determination that he couldn't date somebody like her. Though, it wasn't like she wanted to be with him or at least, she tried to convince herself of that fact.

She turned her head to Neil and he looked at her curiously. Rio knew she had to be blushing to her ears at this point. What in the world wouldn't her mouth stop moving?

"What are you trying say?" Neil asked her. She fidgeted.

"That dating you wouldn't be all that bad," He scowled at the news and Rio pursed her lips. "Can't you just take the compliment?"

"It's not my fault. You brought it up," He looked away, heart beating faster than a humming bird. "…and, you wouldn't be that bad either." He finally said and they were once again trapped in an odd silence.

The early calm they shared had been broken by uncertainty. They both felt like idiots, inwardly arguing with their own selves. Neil was questioning his sanity for feeling the need to move closer to Rio; to say something more to her. Rio was denying any feelings she might have for Neil. She kept saying they were best friends, but a tiny imp in the back of her head was continuously telling her otherwise. That she wasn't an idiot and she knew what was going on. They both glanced at each other. Each about to say something, but they closed their mouths, thinking the other one wanted to speak. Rio finally broke the trend.

"I should go," Rio hopped up quickly.

"Yeah, you really should. It's getting late," Neil agreed just as quickly.

"Right, see ya!" Rio spun on her heels and walked towards the door. She took the time to peek and see if anyone was wondering the streets; sneaking out when the coast was clear. Neil heard the door close quietly before flopping back into the mattress, sighing to himself. Life had always been so simple and he felt like he was complicating it for himself.

**oOo**

Rio smacked herself in the forehead all the way home. She hadn't felt so mud-brained around a guy since the time she walked into a unisex bathroom with a bad lock and caught her high school crush just finishing up. This problem with Neil was working up to second in her most embarrassing moments guide. At least, when she was in high school, she had a reason to be so bashful. Neil was just sitting there and she had turned red as a cherry.

"You're just tricking yourself into thinking you like him," Rio mumbled to herself, stopping in the middle of road. If she kept thinking she liked him, she would find a reason to justify it and that would be her down fall. She wouldn't fall for it. She thought to herself, but she was extremely doubtful. All the signs were there. She could remember the kiss they almost shared at the Fireworks Festival. It was a memory she repressed and now that it was knocking around in her head, she was feeling all the blood rushing to her head. "I'm such an idiot." She groaned, about to take another step when somebody grabbed her from behind. A hand went to her mouth and the other wrapped around her shoulders.

"Freeze if you want to live," The guy said gruffly. Gulping, Rio did freeze for a moment before she elbowed the guy as hard as she could in the stomach. He gagged and she turned around to deliver another blow when she noticed the blue and yellow cap.

"Henry?!" Rio yelled. "What the hell?!"

Holding his stomach, Henry stood up straight and gave Rio a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I saw you walking and couldn't help myself," He answered her in a pained tone. "Why are you out so late anyway?"

"N-no reason," Rio stuttered. She knew, if Henry knew she had been at Neil's house, he would misinterpret, freak out, and go back to start trouble. She was in no mood to break that up. "I couldn't sleep."

Henry gave Rio a look of disbelieve. She smiled innocently at him and he decided to let it go for now. They fell into step with each other as they walked back to the farm.

"Why must you always show up at the dead of night? You know the bus runs at normal times," Rio lectured him while Henry silently parroted her words. He stopped when Rio shot him a dirty look.

"I don't know. I like the night and less people are on the bus. Well, except for that strange guy who felt the need to sit by me when we were the only ones riding," Henry shuddered. "He wouldn't stop showing me vacation photos."

"Is that your version of Hell?" Rio joked.

"Only if they're in slideshow form," Henry revealed to her a she unlocked the door.

"So, you are you going to tell me where you went this time?" Rio asked, going to the closet and taking out the futon for Henry.

"Yeah, but it's kind of a long story. I rather tell you in the morning. I have a surprise for you actually," Henry gave her a half-smile.

"That means it's good news?" Rio asked hopefully as she sat on the edge of her bed. Henry settled on his futon.

"Sort of, you just have to see it."

Rio pouted. "Great, now, I won't be able to sleep."

"Just try and be patience," Henry slipped under his blankets.

"Fine, be that way," Rio went to crank up the heat before returning to her bed. The cold air was going to sink to the floor and she didn't want Henry sick. She tried to fall asleep, but she hated having to be patient when it came to surprises.

The next morning she tended to her fields and checked on Betsy and Cherry. After that, Henry led her to the other side of the farm to a thick brush of trees and vines. He squeezed through them, beckoning Rio to follow after him.

"We're going walking in the woods?"

"Just come on," He waved a hand for her to come into the thickets. Rio pushed her way passed in. She was expecting to be faced with more forest when she realized they were now standing on a path. The trees where hanging over head like they were shielding the path. Rio could see daylight only a few feet away. She and Henry walked to the other side. Rio gasped at the vast, snow-covered field that was staring her in her face. It was covered by debris, but the trees wrapping around the edges formed the full square.

"Surprise!" Henry shouted hands up in the air.

"What is this? It's been back here the whole time?" Rio gaped.

"Of course it has," Henry rolled his eyes. Like a field would just pop up out of nowhere. "And, now it's yours." Henry pulled out an envelope and handed it to Rio. "Here's the deed for it."

"But? What? How? Henry?" Rio didn't know where to start. "How did you afford this?"

"I didn't. You did," Henry boasted. Rio was now beyond lost. The explanation for this situation could be staring her in the face and she would still pull out her binoculars to find it.

"Okay Henry, start flapping those lips. What's going on?"

"Did you ever wonder why your father was in so much debt?" Henry asked her.

Rio's cheeks flushed pink and she squirmed under gaze. "Not really, never thought about it."

"I figured," Henry sighed at his cousin's obliviousness. "Well, take notes because this is going to be a long story."

"Alright, hold on! I need to get comfortable," Rio found a nice rock to sit on. She settled in and gave her full attention to Henry.

"Right…anyway, there are some things I have learned over the past two years or so," He started. "Like how our family use to be pillars in this town and how my father destroyed the legacy. He gambled away a lot of the land and he and my mother had to leave town. It devastated your father. He took out a loan to pay to get the land back. He couldn't get the money from the bank and so he went to the Martinos instead." Henry paused to make sure Rio was keeping up. "He got the acres back, but when he started slipping up on payments, they took the deeds away from him. When he finally gave them all the money, he could get them back."

"So that's what this has been all about?" Rio sneered. "Some stupid land?" She never thought about why her father owed so much money, but she assumed it was for a really good reason; maybe for some expensive operation or maybe he just borrowed over and the interest had built up.

"It's not that simple," Henry tried to reason with her. He could already see Rio gearing up to go and do something idiotic out of anger. "He wanted to help the town too. It started going downhill after that. They depended too much on our family and your dad didn't want them to suffer because of him. Apparently, he was supposed to inherit the farm and there's a chance that the town could have still be thriving if my father never lost the land."

"Then, why are they giving me this back now. My payments don't add up to this total," Rio mentioned to the price of the deed in her hands.

"And, that's where the problems arrive," Henry frowned. "Your father didn't miss his payments. I don't know how much he actually paid back, but whoever was collecting for him did not turn in the money. I think…I think that's why your father died."

Rio gulped at his words, her blood running cold in her veins. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to find her voice. She could feel the tears prickling at her eyes, trying to hold them back. She took a shaky breath.

"He must have found out about it. Maybe he was going to tell the bosses and that ass did something to him," Rio suggested.

"That's the general theory, but, his collector…"

"…is dead, I know," Rio said through clenched teeth. Rio thought about the person who was originally collecting the debts before Jay. He was a jerk who tried to make Rio miserable anyway he could. She had been so happy when she heard he had been killed in a drive by, not caring who might have called her heartless. Now, Rio wished he was still alive so she could ring his neck herself. She ran her hands through her hair as Henry continued.

"So, I can't prove what he did. I tried to find your dad's receipts for the payments, but they disappeared. I was able to recover a few hidden ones from your house and combining them with what you've paid, I was able to get the deed back for this portion of the farm," He looked at the ground sadly. "It was the best I could do. I feel like I should have been able to get you more or find some other proof, or…"

"Henry, stop," Rio stood up. "You already did more than I could have ever dreamed of. Don't beat yourself up over this. I mean, with the rest of this land, I will be able to earn the rest in no time. I'm not exactly fond of my father's methods for what he did, but… " She clenched her in determination. "Thinking about the people here, I can understand his reasons. I'm going to get my father's land pack. I may not be able to do it directly, but I'm going to stick it to that bastard in Hell and finish what my father started."

"You mean we will stick it to that bastard in Hell. I'll find some way to help you out," Henry grinned, but Rio didn't return it.

"You don't have to do that. You've done enough," Rio responded.

"No, I haven't. I'm a part of this family too and you got to stop trying to do everything for yourself. I've seen you do a lot, but you're still human; not Wonder Woman," Henry reminded her and Rio grimaced. "I know you think you will burden people with your problems, but it's okay to have a little help. I don't think anybody is going to pity you for needing help."

Rio swallowed.

"Part of me knows that, but it's still hard. I see why my dad was always trying to drive me away," Rio nearly sobbed. "I-I guess you can help, but I still want it to be kept under wraps from everybody else."

"If that's what you want, then, my lips are sealed," Henry mimed zipping up his lips. "Come on; let's go before we freeze to death. We can start cleaning up this place later." He told her as they went back through the brush.


End file.
